Launched on 11 November through the Seedrs online platform, Innis & Gunn hopes to fund Edinburgh’s first major brewery in more than a century with a £3m crowdfunded cash injection.
While the exact location of the proposed site is yet to be revealed, Innis & Gunn plans to bring all production and packaging in house at the new facility while simplifying and reducing the cost of its current outsourcing model and cutting the company’s carbon footprint.
It’s also expected that the new brewery will create around 30 new jobs when it opens in 2021.
Beer Money’s launch comes three years after the Scottish brewer’s last crowdfunding campaign, in which time the company’s turnover has increased to £25m. At the time of writing (12 November), the campaign had raised £675,690 of its £3m target – almost a quarter (23%) of the investment sought.
Earlier this year, the Scottish brewer and bar operator successfully rebranded its pubs as Brewery Taprooms off the back of a 30% increase in sales. There are plans to grow the concept across the UK at a rate of two new sites each year for the next three years.
Putting Edinburgh back on the brewing map
Founded in 2003, the beermaker sold 21m pints of beer in more than 30 countries in 2018 – its 15th consecutive year of double-digit volume growth.
“At this time of division, doom and gloom, the originality and inclusivity of the Innis & Gunn brand and business is a shining light of optimism that brings people together in celebration of great beer,” Dougal Gunn Sharp, Innis & Gunn’s founder and master brewer said.
“This is the opportunity of a lifetime – to be part of the project to build Edinburgh’s first large-scale brewery in over 150 years.
“By investing in Innis & Gunn Beer Money, you will be helping to create a new legacy for our brand and for brewing in Edinburgh, and Scotland, that will last a lifetime.
“Part of our strength as a business comes from the community of fans we’ve built across the globe, and this is the perfect chance for them to get involved and help us put Edinburgh back on the brewing map.
“We’ve enjoyed 16 years of uninterrupted growth, expanded into over 30 countries and we’ve got a very exciting journey ahead of us. There’s never been a better time to join us, so why not put your money into something fun and buy a bit of our brewery.”
