St Austell takes share in Harbour

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Business growth: the deal means Harbour's beers will be more widely available (image: Adam Sargent)

South west-based business St Austell Brewery has taken a minority share in north Cornwall business Harbour Brewing Co.

The two companies have a history of collaboration and the deal will mean Harbour’s beers will be available to a wider audience for the first time.

Harbour Brewing founder Eddie Lofthouse said: “We’ve always had a fantastic relationship with St Austell Brewery.

“When we first started in 2012, [St Austell] did our bottling before we had the equipment to do it ourselves and the former brewing director Roger Ryman was a mentor and good friend.

“Since then, we’ve built strong relationships across the business, from the brewery team to the board, based on shared values of independence, quality and our connection to Cornwall."

Production information

He added: “St Austell Brewery is a world-class brewer and the leading distributor in the south west, wit ha vast network of high-quality pubs and bars.

“Our new partnership means we can reach people all across our home county, who otherwise may not have had the opportunity to try our beers.”

Harbour will continue its production at its site in Kirland, Cornwall and its entire range will be available to St Austell sites.

This includes its core beers including Daymer pale ale, Singlefin lager, Big Wednesday IPA and Arctic Sky cold IPA.

Exciting investment

St Austell chief executive Kevin Georgel said: “This is a very exciting investment for us. The Harbour team has done an incredible job of building the brand over the past decade and its beers are truly loved by those in the know.

“For us, this investment is representative of our desire to bring new beers to our customer, with a focus on craftmanship and quality.

“We know Harbour’s brands will be popular in pubs and bars across our region and we can’t wait to work with the team, developing its great beers throughout our home county of Cornwall and the wider south west.”

Lofthouse outlined how the change will impact the business in terms of output as well as its consumers.

He added: “From the customer’s perspective, Harbour will continue to be the brewery people know and love – it will just be much more readily available.

“We’ll be increasing the volume of beer we produce but the ingredients, recipes, techniques and relentless attention to detail will remain the same.”