Anspach & Hobday launches crowdfunding campaign

The brewery’s initiative, which has been set up on Crowdcube​, has already reached 130% of its target goal of £300,000 with 30 days left to run. It is offering 7.42% equity in return for investment, giving the business a pre-money valuation of £4.9m.

It plans to expand its production capabilities to allow greater volumes of its nitro porter – London Black – to be brewed.

Batch volume to be doubled

Since the launch of London Black in May 2021, Anspach & Hobday has landed 30 direct permanent lines and sold more than 450 kegs. This has resulted in 13,500 litres, totalling more than 23,500 pints of the beer.

The upgrades to its production hub, in Croydon, will include doubling its batch volume, improving efficiency, as well as expanding production of London Black. It added, for local pubs wishing to stock London Black, it would also provide nitro line installations as part of its offer.

The raise follows on its 2018 campaign when 524 backers invested £525,250 into the brewery and expanded its production to the new site in Croydon, transferred from bottled to canned beer, renovated our its original Bermondsey site and invested in a new lab-based role that oversees quality control.

These investments have enabled Anspach & Hobday to grow 31% year on year (2020-21) despite the pandemic, with the company reaching a milestone figure of £1m in turnover in the 12 months to October this year.

Alongside equity, investors will also receive a variety of rewards depending on their contribution. Highlights include a 10% lifetime discount, Anspach & Hobday dispense hire, and an exclusive meal at London’s English Restaurant, featuring London Black.

Growth through pandemic

Chairman and co-founder Jack Hobday said: “It was a triumph for our brewery to continue to grow throughout the pandemic. We are proud of our team and the success of the beers we brew but it would have been all harder without the fantastic support of our crowdfunder base built in 2018.

“We are raising now to underpin that growth and capitalise on the opportunity that London Black offers. It is really exciting to be able to welcome more to join our company in this next step of our journey.”

Head of production and co-founder Paul Anspach added: “At the brewery, we are all incredibly excited about London Black. It’s a beer that we have thoroughly enjoyed developing, and the team couldn’t be prouder of the results.”