Rugby club owner invests in brewery

05-Nov-2019 - Last updated on 05-Nov-2019 at 16:00 GMT

Rugby match-up: Martin St Quinton (left) with brewery owner Jared Brown

A rugby club owner has invested in Gloucester Brewery to help boost its brewing production to 800,000 pints a year by the end of 2020.

Gloucester Rugby owner and chairman Martin St Quinton is one of three new investors on board at Gloucester Brewery as part of its ambitious plans.

With the additional investment, new fermenting tanks will allow the brewery – located at The Docks – to double its capacity from its current 400,000 pints a year production limit.

Ticking the boxes

St Quinton, who is also chairman of Cheltenham Racecourse, said: “I decided to get involved with Gloucester Brewery because I love supporting local businesses and young entrepreneurs who are trying to develop ideas and create something interesting. Gloucester Brewery ticked both of those boxes.”

The three investors have taken a 35% share of the business, which is owned by Jared Brown who founded the brewery in 2011.

The ambitious plans will also entail a £30,000 refurbishment of the brewery’s Tank bar, and also double its brewery sales force.

St Quinton continued: “Jared has got plans for new beers, increasing capacity substantially and introducing a range of new spirits, principally gin, and I am looking forward to seeing these plans develop.”

Shape the future

Negotiations are also under way to open another bar, and plans are in place to install a distillery on the site to produce vodka and a range of gins in the new year.

Brown said: “This first phase of investment has put us in a fantastic position where we have a healthy cash flow to fund our plans for growth. We are delighted to be working with our three new investors to shape a really exciting future the brewery.

“From the very early days back in 2011, we have always talked about the possibility of getting involved with Gloucester Rugby. To now actually have the owner of the club as a shareholder in the brewery is absolutely fantastic.”

Simon Thomas, founder and former owner of Thomas Legal Group, and now a business and property investor; and Dave Lewins, an experienced businessman from Cheltenham are the other two new investors at Gloucester Brewery.

Jumped at the chance

Thomas said: “I jumped at the chance to play a part in this wonderful local business, with its heritage location in an historic wharf building at Gloucester Docks and with the amazing quality of beer it was already producing.

“Dave and Martin soon also realised the potential and joined me on this new journey to make Gloucester Brewery a business that the city of Gloucester can support and be proud of.”

Lewins, who is now the brewery’s sales and marketing director, said he is delighted to be involved in the brewery’s plans.

“I got involved because after Simon approached me as a fellow beer lover, knowing I had relevant management and experience in company growth and knew that I'd be well suited and excited to help in taking a brewery to a new level. He was right.”