Brewing & Beverage Industries Business - Autumn/Winter 2020/21 - Issue 18

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ISSN 2398-2489

The Products & Services Magazine for the UK Drinks Production Industry

Autumn/Winter 2020/21 Issue 18 November • December January • February

Focus CIDER

Pages 40-43

SHOWCASES in this issue....

Production Equipment Business Services Pages 11-29

Pages 32-39

Plus all the latest products & services news from the UK drinks industry’s supply chain

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WELCOME TO

The Products & Services Magazine for the UK Drinks Production Industry ISSN 2398-2489

Autumn/Winter 2020/21 Issue 18 IN PRINT & ONLINE

November • December • January • February

Special Features In This Issue...

Published by freerbutler limited PO Box 9666 • Nottingham NG10 9BY United Kingdom Tel: 0115 8 549 349 brewingbusiness.co.uk

SHOWCASES Editor Chris Freer

Production Equipment

Pages 11-29

Business Services

Cover Picture: Courtesy Ninkasi Rentals & Finance

Pages 32-39

FOCUS

Page 40-43

UK Cider

l Updates on the UK Cider scene, featuring suppliers servicing that sector of the market.

...and our regular columnists BFBi C.E.O. Ruth Evans MBE, former SIBA C.E.O. Julian Grocock, Alan Powell, founder of the British Distillers Alliance, plus award-winning beer writers Adrian Tierney-Jones and Stephen Beaumont

Brewing & Beverage Industries Business is a quarterly ‘Supply Chain’ magazine targeting the UK drinks production industry. If your company supplies products and services to brewers, distillers, cider makers, etc, then this is the platform for you.

Digital Editor Simon Butler

For editorial or advertising enquiries, call the Editor on the office number or e-mail:

chris@brewingbusiness.co.uk

Our print circulation is audited and certified

Brewing & Beverage Industries Business magazine is an independent publication delighted to be a MEDIA PARTNER to

Representing the entire value chain supplying the Brewing, Food & Beverage Industry

Subscription is free and printed copies are mailed out throughout Great Britain and Northern Ireland. If you are one of the very few UK brewers, distillers, or cider manufacturer, not receiving a regular copy, then please contact us today.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any other means, electronic or mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of freerbutler limited.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the information in this publication is accurate and up-to-date, freerbutler limited does not take any responsibility for errors or omissions. Opinions expressed in editorial contributions to this publication are those of their respective authors and not necessarily shared by freerbutler limited.

© freerbutler limited 2020

freerbutler limited is a Supplier Associate member of

BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Autumn/Winter 2020/21

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WORD FROM THE BFBi

Make the most of support initiatives Ruth Evans MBE

Photo by Gerardo Jaconelli

I have been scratching my head thinking what to write about, especially as I have been trying to think of something positive to say, not easy with the current challenges.

For BFBi the entire year has been something of a car crash in terms of postponed and cancelled events and upheaval in the ways our members do business.

I seem to spend my life on webinars and zoom calls learning about Government initiatives/changes in regulations etc so that I can pass on the information in bite sized pieces so, this is what I detail here – current Government support initiatives to help companies retain a workforce during COVID:

New Job Support Scheme: • Open to small and medium-sized businesses. Large businesses are also eligible, if they can prove their revenue has fallen because of coronavirus.

• Employees must have been on payroll since at least 23rd September.

They can be moved on and off the scheme, or work different hours. Each working arrangement must cover at least seven days.

• Starts on 1 November 2020 and will run for 6 months, until April 2021.

• To be eligible, employees must be in a ‘viable job’ where they can work for at least one-third of their normal hours.

• For the hours not worked, the government and employer will each pay one-third of the remaining wages.

This means the employee will get at least 77% of their pay with Government paying a maximum of 22% of that.

• The payment will be based on an employee’s normal salary, with the government contribution capped at £697.92 per month. This is almost the same as the 80% offered under the furlough scheme - but employees have to work at least a third of their hours, instead of none.

• Workers cannot be made redundant or put on notice while a Jobs Support Scheme grant is being claimed on their behalf.

What other jobs help is on offer?

• £1,000 for every furloughed employee kept on until at least the end of January

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• £1,500 for every out-of-work 16-24 year-old given a ‘high quality’ sixmonth work placement (see Kickstarter Scheme below).

• £2,000 for every under-25 apprentice taken on until the end of January, or £1,500 for over-25s

Kickstarter Scheme: •Provides funding to employers to create 6 month job placements for 16 to 24 year olds who are currently on Universal Credit and at risk of long term unemployment.

•The scheme is subsidised with the Government paying 100% of the agerelevant National Minimum Wage, National Insurance and pension contributions provided young people aged 16-24 are given quality positions with a minimum 25 hours a week.

•Employers will be able to top up this wage if they want to, but this will be from their own funds.

•If employers need more funding for support, training, uniforms, setup costs and equipment the Government will also pay £1,500 per Kickstart placement.

•A referral for the employee has to be made by the Work Coach. Should you have a candidate in mind you will need to talk to your Work Coach to make the appropriate referral.

•You do not need to take on an employee now, the last opportunity doesn’t need to filled until end June 2021.

The issue with the Kickstart Scheme is that applications have to be made in groups of 30 and how many employers are in a position to take on 30 employees? However, a trade body can act as a Kickstarter Gateway and BFBi is offering to become a Gateway for employers wishing to benefit from the scheme. If you wish to take on an employee under the Kickstart Scheme and wish to use BFBi as your gateway, or want further information, contact ruth.evans@bfbi.org.uk

What Could Q1 2021 Bring?

The Federation for Small Businesses has quoted a possible 700,000 businesses going into administration in

Q1 – equating to 3 million jobs. CBI quotes a figure of £35billion of Government loans (Bounce Back and CBILS) that may not be repaid.

These are grim figures but I am a believer in knowing the worst case scenario so we can work out a plan of action and a plan of action is what we need. For many of us in the supply chain, there has not been a great deal of support from Government and time is running out.

Somebody said that ‘Knowledge is Power’. BFBi and other trade associations are here to bring you the knowledge that will help you put a strategy together so please do contact us so that we can best lobby for support and initiatives to obviate the worst case scenario or, at least, give you information to help you make an informed decision as to your next step.

Ruth Evans MBE, BFBi C.E.O.

Established in 1907, BFBi’s membership represents the entire value chain supplying the brewing and beverage industry – from seed geneticists through raw materials, brewhouse and process equipment to dispense, point-ofsale and brewers/distillers. The Association’s objective is to be the foremost trade association providing opportunities for its Members to develop within the brewing, food & beverage industry.

As well as offering many benefits and services to suppliers of raw materials, process and packaging machinery, dispense and point of sale products, BFBi is a Trade Challenge Partner for various overseas exhibitions and owner and organiser of the oldest international brewing and cider Awards in the world.

SEE PAGE 66 FOR MORE INFO

BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Autumn/Winter 2020/21

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CALLED TO THE BAR

Can we save cask beer from extinction?

Adrian Tierney-Jones

I had my first pint of cask beer since March 16 — it was Old Peculier then and it was gorgeous — several days after the pubs reopened on July 4. The beer was a disappointment and I stayed with what we used to call craft keg for the next few pub visits. Towards the end of the month salvation came in a superb pint of Adnams Broadside at the Bridge Inn in Topsham — it was rich with malt character and earthy English hops and had an effortlessly unassuming side-helping of bitterness, dryness and subtle nuttiness. Since then the majority of glasses of cask beer I have tried have been fine, with several reaching a heavenwards peak of sublimity, though sadly there has been a noticeable amount of undistinguished ones.

The reason I mention what seems like an irritable outbreak of beer-ticking is that during the time when the pubs were closed, it seemed that a lot of people I knew through the world of beer were missing cask as much as they missed the confederacy of the pub. Cask, after all, is the beer that cannot be replicated at home because the natural and modest centre of its soul is the public house.

It is also best drunk in the (socially distanced) company of like-minded souls with an assortment of benevolent views on the world.

Cask beer is many things to many people: to some it is the stout yeoman of England, the horny handed son of the soil, the noble working man and woman who once toiled down the pit or at the factory bench, yesteryear in other words. To others it is a unique part of the world of beer, a stubborn survivor, a robust and elegant dispensation of beer whose champions claim it to be unparalleled, up there with Stilton cheese, salt-marsh lamb and the Newmarket sausage, to be savoured and protected.

Protected. The word just shot into my mind as I concluded that last paragraph and it made me think a bit deeper about the nature of cask beer’s existence. It seems to me that it has always lived on the edge of extinction or, to put a little less dramatically, in fear of its existence, which is why its adherents have demanded a kind of protection for it.

In the 1950s bad bar practice (slops being put back into barrels and a lack of cellar knowledge which equalled stale beer) was a partial reason for the growth of bottled beer, and also

created the gaps that enabled lager and keg-conditioned beer to sweep all before them in the 1960s. Then CAMRA came along and partially reversed the decline, only for the craft beer revolution (ok craft keg) to mute things again (though there are many other reasons for its decline).

According to my beer-writing colleague Pete Brown, the most recent figures for cask beer sales suggest a continued downward decline or in his words in an email he sent to me, ‘the worst performing sector in beer’.

Naturally, three months of closed pubs and the current curfew cannot do anything but harm — and who knows, by the time this is published pubs might have been closed again, or they might have reopened as furniture stores or butchers’ shops given that this government has had more flip-flops than a flip-flop shop on a Cornish beach.

As well as the lockdown I would say from personal experience that one of the biggest challenges it faces is quality at the front line of the bar. If I return to that first post-lockdown pint I had in a pub back in July it didn’t taste very nice — its condition was slight, the flavour over ripe and there was a tannic like woodiness on the palate that suggested over-sparging in the brewery. Here both pub and brewery, for me, were at fault.

Continuing to draw on the evidence of my pub visits over the last couple of years, it does seem that indifferently kept pints have become the new norm (as the current fashionable phrase has it) and I have only ordered cask beer in places that I trust and know will keep a perfect pint. But as that first

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post-lockdown pint demonstrated there is also a lack of creativity or even accomplishment in some of the beers tasted. I am not asking for bucketloads of New World hops being added, or even a mixed fermentation bitter (though that is something I would pounce on like a wolf on the fold), but something like Anspach & Hobday’s Ordinary Bitter have for me refined what a bitter can be like. Having not being to London since February I have not had these beers on cask, but poured from a can they were superb so I can only relish and anticipate the time when I sit down in their tap room with a freshly poured pint.

It might seem mean and petty to complain during these perilous times for the pub and brewing trade.

However, if cask beer is to be more than a protected species edging ever forward towards an extinction-level event what better time is there than now to re-boot that sense of taking part in a lottery whenever cask beer is ordered at the bar-top.

Adrian Tierney-Jones

Voted ‘Beer Writer of the Year 2017’ by the British Guild of Beer Writers, Adrian Tierney-Jones is a freelance journalist whose work also appears in the Daily Telegraph, Original Gravity, Sunday Times Travel Magazine, Daily Star and Imbibe amongst many others.

He’s been writing books since 2002 and they include West Country Ales, Great British Pubs, Britain’s Beer Revolution (co-written with Roger Protz) and his latest The Seven Moods of Craft Beer; general editor of 1001 Beers To Try Before You Die and contributor to The Oxford Companion to Beer, World Beer and 1001 Restaurants You Must Experience Before You Die. Chair of Judges at the World Beer Awards and also on the jury at the Brussels Beer Challenge, Occasionally blogs at http://maltworms.blogspot.co.uk

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LETTER FROM NORTH AMERICA

Getting creative to survive the Pandemic Stephen Beaumont

It may not be everyone’s idea of an evening well spent, but there are certainly many among us who enjoy nothing more than spending some time with friends or family, a few choice beers, and a board game.

Which must have been what was going through the minds of the folk behind Ontario’s Wellington Brewery when, as one of their many pandemic promotional strategies, they created Welly Can Land, a craft beerthemed board game the company designed and packaged for sale in 12-can and 24-pack editions.

The Canadian board game is but one of the many initiatives born of the challenges faced by breweries in this plague-ridden year, albeit arguably one of the most interesting and unusual. It also highlights one of the very few bright sides to our present difficulties, that being how breweries large and small have been forced to get abundantly creative in order to survive a time when on-premise sales have been virtually non-existent and traditional business models have been flipped on their heads.

I have written before in this space about how the nimbleness of smallscale independent breweries has been one of their greatest assets this year, and coupled with healthy doses of imagination and creativity, that rapidfire dexterity has yielded numerous benefits beyond easy online ordering and beer delivery. Like the beer and grocery packs launched almost simultaneously – but independently – by another Ontario operation, Henderson Brewing, and Pittsburgh’s East End Brewing.

For their ‘Pantry Pack,’ Henderson partnered with several area businesses and created a larder-stocker featuring twenty cans of the brewery’s beer plus coffee, mustard, hot sauce, ‘beer crisps’ and sesame butter, all delivered in a reusable, environmentally-friendly crate. Meanwhile, south of the border in Pennsylvania, East End likewise partnered with local businesses on subscription-based ‘Survival Kits’ featuring a different mix of food and drink each week for six weeks, available for pick-up only at the brewery. The idea, according to a story at triblive.com, the online presence of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, is to break the “monotony of the pandemic” while also providing support to

businesses hard-hit by the spread of coronavirus.

Variety packs are, of course, nothing new in the world of beer, but they have multiplied and thrived during this time when the sort of tasting experiences one might have at a beer speciality bar or brewery taproom have been all but impossible to find. Generally speaking, this is where larger, regionally- or nationally-focused breweries have had a greater presence than have small, local breweries which might be new to the idea of packaging their beer at all, much less creating sample cases.

While almost every bottling or canning brewery of note has released some sort of variety pack this summer, among the more interesting and creative are Stone Brewing’s IPA Mix Pack, Elysian Brewing’s Pumpkin Patch Variety Pack – which, yes, features four different pumpkin beers! – and Victory Brewing’s Mystical Monkey Mixer Pack, featuring the brewery’s flagship Golden Monkey strong golden ale plus three variations on the Belgiuminspired beer.

Sometime, though, getting innovative can be as simple as reaching out to the local community, as did the Able Seedhouse + Brewery, located in the Arts District of Northeast Minneapolis, Minnesota. For their summer seasonal, the brewery partnered with a professor at the Minneapolis Community and Technical College to have a class there pursue a full-semester project which led to the design and marketing of the beer. Although conceived prepandemic, the effort did require brewery owners to think quickly when lockdown hit, as the art show originally planned to take place at the brewery evolved into a greater emphasis on the packaged beer backed by a strong social media campaign.

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Giving back to the community has also been a recurring theme across Canada and the United States this difficult summer, highlighted by the stunningly successful Black is Beautiful collaboration effort. Instigated by Weathered Souls Brewing of San Antonio, Texas, the initiative offers an open-source recipe and label art to any brewery that pledges to donate 100% of the proceeds from the beer to “local foundations that support police brutality reform and legal defences for those who have been wronged,” an offer which, at last count, has been taken up by 1,158 breweries across the two countries and well beyond, extending to such far-removed locales as Wollongong, Australia, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

In the end, it’s all about engaging consumers and strengthening community, whether through a family board game, a beer tasting among close friends, or a wide-spread effort in support of social justice for all. Which, to a considerable degree, has really been one of craft brewing’s great strength all along, made only stronger by the challenges the industry continues to face in 2020.

Stephen Beaumont

A professional beer writer for 30 years, Stephen Beaumont is an award-winning author or co-author of fourteen books on beer, including his latest solo work, Will Travel for Beer: 101 Remarkable Journeys Every Beer Lover Should Experience, and the fully revised, rewritten and updated third edition of The World Atlas of Beer, co-authored with Tim Webb and available now.

Stephen can be found online at beaumontdrinks.com and on both Instagram and Twitter @BeaumontDrinks

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SHOWCASE Production Equipment

We asked companies supplying the following products and services to let us know something about themselves.... l New and pre-owned production equipment available in the UK, for brewing, distilling, and cider-making l New and pre-owned bottling & canning equipment available in the UK l Companies that will install your equipment and work with you in commissioning and initial production, in addition to providing tuition

Parker Bioscience Filtration introduces trial filter capsules for brewing industry Brewers are being given the opportunity to trial innovative sterile filtration technology, thanks to a new initiative from Parker Bioscience Filtration.

The company has introduced free trial capsules for its BEVPOR BR range of filters, enabling breweries to undertake taste and visual quality trials, and test the effectiveness of this filtration method.

The initiative will help companies to explore alternative microbial stabilisation methods to pasteurization and analyse the impact of BEVPOR BR filters on their own beer products. It will also help them to compare BEVPOR BR filters to any existing sterile filtration technology they may already have in place.

BEVPOR BR filters from Parker are used within automated Cold Stabilisation Module (CSM), products from Agidens Process Automation. Parker Bioscience Filtration’s partnership with Agidens Process Automation enables the global brewing industry to access systems which integrate Parker Bioscience Filtration’s microfiltration solutions with Agidens’ automated processing technology.

Sterile filtration solutions provided by Parker Bioscience Filtration are designed to allow brewers to significantly reduce the costs of microbial stabilization while protecting the beer’s sensory appeal.

Bürkert hygienic flowmeter achieves ATEX Zone 2 approval

Bürkert’s FLOWave liquid flowmeter has received ATEX Zone 2 approval, opening use for OEMs, system integrators and end users in potentially explosive atmospheres for hygienic applications.

The Type 8098 hygienic flowmeter has been tested and approved for use in ATEX Zone 2, a potentially explosive atmosphere where gas, vapour or mist may persist for a short period. This means that the Type 8098 FLOWave flowmeter can now be used to bring safety and reliability to potentially explosive atmospheres in industries including the food & beverage sector.

Within the food & beverage sector, the FLOWave flowmeter will be deployed in the production of alcohol and spirits, in particular for use in distilleries.

The Type 8098 FLOWave flowmeter, manufactured in stainless steel, is designed for applications with the

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BEVPOR BR filters have been designed to provide superior filter life in comparison to other sterile filtration products. They can be directly retrofitted into competitor brewery automation products which are commonly used in brewery cold stabilisation applications directly before bottling and kegging.

For further information: www.parker.com

highest hygienic demands and is clean in place (CIP) compatible. High accuracy, repeatable measurement of flow rate, flow velocity, temperature and total flow are achieved alongside special functions from process values including density factor and acoustic transmission.

FLOWave can also report on metrics including carbonation and solids content. The measuring tube is free of obstacles and gas or steam flow doesn’t impact on the device or its operation.

The flowmeter is also available with Ethernet-based industrial communication protocols including Modbus TCP, PROFINET, EtherNet I/P and EtherCAT.

The ATEX Zone 2 approved variant of the Type 8098 flowmeter includes the same functionality and design as the original FLOWave but meets the approval with the inclusion of ATEX approved cable glands, M12 connectors and a pressure balancing element. Commonality of the design across the ATEX Zone 2 and

standard FLOWave flowmeters reduces the time required for installation, maintenance and operation.

Pictured above: The Type 8098 hygienic flowmeter

For further information: www.burkert.co.uk

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How motors and drives can unlock new possibilities for brewers

by Luciano Santos of ABB

There is more to today’s electric motor than meets the eye. Smart sensor technologies are helping to turn conventional powertrain equipment – encompassing variable speed drives (VSDs), motors, bearings and pumps – into smart digital devices that harvest valuable performance data at a low cost. This can help to unlock substantial improvements for brewers’ safety, production reliability and efficiency, without having to overhaul existing motor equipment.

Motors play an indispensable role throughout brewing, powering pumps, fans, mills and conveyors. Many motors are run without any form of speed control, while some are oversized for their application, which often wastes vast amounts of energy.

A motor’s speed can be controlled mechanically using guide vanes or dampers, but even with these control methods the motor is still running at full output, regardless of demand. VSDs are used to electronically control the speed of a motor in response to actual demand. By running the motor only at the speed needed to meet the required flow of air or liquid, for example, significant energy savings can be made, as well as lowering carbon emissions.

While a VSD can be applied to conveyor control, it is at its most energy effective when controlling variable torque applications such as pumps, fans or compressors. Here a unique scientific phenomenon, referred to as the Cube Law, means a small reduction in speed

can lead to a massive saving in energy, often up to 60 percent.

Until relatively recently, the VSD was the only “intelligent” device in the powertrain. Today, the arrival of smart sensors has unlocked hidden data within other powertrain components such as motors, bearings and pumps. This data can be readily transformed into useful information advising on the overall health of each individual component, its performance, condition and efficiency. It opens vast new possibilities for remote monitoring and predictive maintenance of not just the motor, but the whole powertrain without the need for physical inspection.

So how does it work? The ABB AbilityTM Smart Sensor, for instance, is a device the size of a pack of playing cards, which is cemented directly to the frame of a low voltage induction motor without any hard wiring or asset modification. A similar device is available for mounted bearings and pumps.

Once installed, the smart sensor measures the motor’s temperature, vibration and other parameters and transmits it to the cloud where the data is analysed using algorithms based on ABB’s decades of motor expertise. The data is converted into useful information which is relayed to a dashboard that can be viewed by the plant’s engineers via a Bluetooth gateway or smartphone to a secure server.

The information provided allows potential faults to be identified and mitigated long before they turn into failures. Maintenance can be carried out precisely when and where it is needed, rather than working to arbitrary

Luciano Santos has worked at ABB for 12 years and is currently Low Voltage Motors Area Manager and Food & Beverage Lead. He holds a bachelor electronics degree from the University of Santa Cecilia in Brazil, and an expert certificate in microelectronics from INSA Toulouse, France.

schedules which can lead to over or under servicing. This saves valuable time for personnel and reduces component costs, while improving safety by reducing the amount of time spent in close proximity to machinery.

Overall, the use of smart sensors generally offers up to 70 percent less unplanned maintenance, up to 30 percent extended motor lifetime, and up to 30 percent reduction in operating costs. Data can also be used to tweak performance, potentially improving the efficiency and longevity of equipment.

Smart sensors are also available for use in hazardous areas, for instance in places where potentially explosive grain dust or volatile gases can accumulate.

These provide increased resilience against harsh conditions, with an improved lifetime to allow it to stay in situ for longer between maintenance intervals.

Electric motors are the workhorses that form the backbone of the modern brewery. With a typical lifespan of 20 years or more, brewers can be apprehensive about investing in upgrading. Whilst new technologies continue to improve the efficiency and reliability of motors, devices like VSDs and smart sensors allow brewers to add digital functionality to legacy equipment, unleashing their motors’ full potential.

For further information: abb.co.uk/energy

Above: Smart Sensors which attach directly to equipment make it easier than ever to monitor, analyse and improve performance, while keeping personnel safe

Above: Smart sensors are available for use in both safe and hazardous areas

Above: Sensors monitor parameters such as temperature, vibration, noise and energy consumption to provide a clearer picture of equipment condition

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SHOWCASE Production Equipment

Hard Seltzer has a ‘Ride’ at Allendale Brewery

A former lead smelting mill located on the banks of the river Allen in the North Pennines is the home of pioneering Allendale Brewery, which has start producing and canning its new brand ‘RIDE’ Hard Seltzers in house, using equipment supplied by Enterprise Tondelli.

The hard seltzer success story is a masterclass in savvy branding. Having burst onto the scene in 2016, in just three years hard seltzers have become the fastest-growing alcoholic drinks category in the US, with the sector predicted to be worth US$2.5 billion by 2021 and due to triple in size by 2023.

After hearing from some friends in the United States about an amazing new drink that was taking the country by storm, Tom and Lucy Hick of Allendale Brewery thought ‘we have to try this’. The drink in questions was Hard Seltzer: a refreshing, natural fruit flavoured, alcoholic sparkling water which is low in calories, gluten free and vegan friendly, and not sweet and sugary! At the time there was none available in the UK, so they had some sent over from Miami and as soon as they tasted it, they were sold!

That first box did not last long! In fact, they thought it was so good they should have a go at making their own. And so, Ride Drinks was born. Alcoholic sparkling water with a hint of natural fruit flavours, no artificial flavourings or sweeteners, just refreshing and delicious and with only 86 calories! Black cherry, Persian lime, Mango and Passion fruit and Blood Orange are now-available in eye-catching 330 ml sleek cans.

The natural package for the hard seltzer is a can, which has many environmental benefits. To have control of the entire process in terms of quality control and production flexibility and to allow both the new Hard Seltzer and Allendale’s existing range of craft beers to be canned in-house, a new canning line was purchased from Enterprise Tondelli.

The new can line includes a rotary counter pressure can filler from Cimec, Italy. The six filling head and single head seamer are monobloced on a stainless steel base frame. On the worm screw of the can filler CO2 is used to pre-purge the cans of air followed by purging as the cans are sealed against the filing valve on the carousel. The purging CO2 is from a separate manifold to ensure the CO2 is always fresh – a feature normally only found on the very large can fillers. Using a counter pressure filling valve evolved from a long established bottle valve ensures dissolved oxygen control and allows high carbonation products to be filled.

The seaming chucks are made by a specialist company and are mounted on a turret what is controlled by an inverter controlled motor with a mechanical cam to ensure repeatable seaming. A controlled area for liquid Nitrogen injection for still products was also incorporated. To complete the Enterprise supply, a conveyor system and ink jet coder were also supplied.

Tom said, “I first met Craig Wilson from Enterprise in 2009 and he has followed our project for us. As we are a smaller brewery the attention to detail, long experience of Enterprise and flexibility has been very helpful. The new canning line is also very simple to use and when things go wrong it’s not rocket science to fix. The level of support from the manufacturer has also been excellent.“

filler/seamers only or as part of a complete can line supply.

For further information: www.enterprisetondelli.co.uk

Mill orders for Alan Ruddock

It’s business as usual for Alan Ruddock Engineering Ltd, which has recently secured an order for a full malt intake installation, which is due to be undertaken before the end of 2020.

Prior to the Coronavirus Lockdown in the UK, the company exported two mills, one to Tasmania in Australia, and the other going to Japan. These both arrived in excellent condition and the company is currently awaiting feedback following installation.

As lockdown began to ease the company has also been able to continue with the annual Service Rota throughout the UK, allowing equipment which has previously been supplied to be maintained in first class order.

Alan Ruddock Engineering offers a full range of precision mills, complimented by a bespoke malt intake system designed to individual requirements.

The brewery is now able to fill both Hard Seltzers in 330 ml sleek cans as well as beers in 330ml and 440ml standard cans, and even 250ml slim for the flexibility to can ready to drink cocktails in the future, using charge parts.

Established over 40 years ago, Enterprise Tondelli supplies craft can fillers at 1,500 and 3,000 cans per hour including depalletiser, can rinser, labeller etc, to make a complete line. There is also a range of high-speed flow meter can fillers from 12,000-80,000 cph as

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For further information: www.brewing-equipment.co.uk

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SHOWCASE Production Equipment

Arlington bottom up fill helps reduce DO pickup With small pack beer products with long shelf lives now being consumed in unprecedented quantities, ever closer control of the brewing process to achieve a consistent and long-lasting product is increasingly important. One factor of particular importance to consistency and longevity is the ever-present question of how much dissolved oxygen is present in the final product.

The post fermentation transfer of ales between processes is demonstrably one of the biggest contributors of DO in the finished product. That is to say that every time product is moved from one vessel to another it will inevitably incur a DO overhead on the way. The causes and magnitude of that overhead will be due to a combination of environmental, process and equipment factors where the smallest of changes can represent amplified improvements in the end result. The need for smaller brewers to catchup with the larger producers is essential if they are to continue to win space on supermarket shelves. With market share up for grabs the need to innovate low cost and effective solutions is clear.

Transit packaging specialist Arlington Packaging is one company that has been working closely with brewing and bottling/canning customers to identify and improve its offering in this area.

Because DO depends to a large extent on direct contact with the air, the more air that can be excluded from the different process steps the better, so the latest in its line-up of products, the catchily-named ‘bottom fill bleed valve’, allows Arlington’s bag-in-box transit tanks to be filled completely air-free via the bottom valved port of the liner.

Arlington claims the combination of the bleed valve with the bottom fill process not only helps to reduce oxygen pick-up during transfer by allowing air to be removed from pipework and coupled joints, but also the bottom up fill method provides the ability to keep a closer control over turbulence within the fill process and the DO pickup that can produce. Any gas that is released from solution during this transfer process can be released from the top of the liner.

Commented Michal Parczewski from South East Bottling, who now routinely sees customers using the bottom fill process with the bleed valve, “We would now advise our customers to use this system, in particular the bleed valve, as

in our experience we have seen reliable reductions in DO of several hundred ppb. This is proving to be a gamechanger in achieving the levels we require from our customers and consequently the quality of the finished product.”

Picture courtesy of Stroud Brewery.

For further information: www.arlingtonpackaging.com

Makro Labelling celebrates its first decade in the UK

Just as the UK was beginning to come out of lockdown, Makro Labelling celebrated its first decade in the UK. There have been a number of reasons to celebrate the milestone, with a healthy order book, new name and a new recruit to the company.

The new name of Makro Labelling Limited better reflects the company going forward, as it continues to sell the full range of Makro Labellers, currently installed in the wine and spirit, brewery, cider, soft drinks, water and contract

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bottling industries. Existing clients have been impressed with the build quality of the Makro labellers, their versatility in that you can change from, for example, wet glue to self-adhesive by attaching a new labelling station without having to buy a new machine.

The after-sales and service department has been operating continuously throughout the UK lockdown helping clients to run at maximum capacity and keep retailers fully stocked during the past six months.

The team has now been strengthened with Nigel Guest (pictured left) joining the company as Technical Sales Manager. Nigel commented on his appointment: “I have joined the company at a very busy time, and over the next few weeks I will be visiting all our customers in the UK. I will ask how we can help them by troubleshooting any components that have become worn and

could potentially at a later date cause a breakdown. Bearing in mind that many of the Makro labellers in the UK are nearly as old as the company, some of them may need a bit of TLC.”

Nigel continued: "I will then liaise with the Service Team to get them onsite, making any changes that are required along with a service kit of any parts that have been identified as needing changing. I have always been impressed with the build quality of Makro’s labellers, and many that have had a busy life will only need an overhaul rather than replacement. I believe the UK team can be very proud of the fact that we have, through our clients, been part of this brilliant team effort of keeping the UK consumers ‘fed and watered’ during the initial COVID-19 pandemic."

For further information: www.makrolabelling.it

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SHOWCASE Production Equipment

Boiler for all steam needs The 30 HP 4VT boiler is our most commonly supplied boiler to the craft brewing Industry.

With a steam flow of 470 kg/h and low running costs for an independent Steam System, suited for a 30bbl Brewhouse, servicing the HLT, Mash Tun, and Kettle, we combine this with a skid unit, with all ancillaries piped in, it makes for an Ideal ‘Plug and Play’ unit.

The selected burner fitted can run on Natural gas, LPG propane, or LFO (light fuel oil) which also suits all needs. The whole skid mounted unit can easily be ‘skated’ into position, ready for hooking up to services such as, flue, vents, water, electric and drain.

We would recommend ancillaries such as, condensate feed and return tank, blowdown vessel, water softener, chemical dosing with sample cooler,

auto TDS blowdown system, tank heating and vent heads, to assist the build of the unit.

Water treatment is the most important entity when installing an independent steam system, and the correct ‘housekeeping’ will achieve the longevity of the boiler, (you should be rewarded with 20 years of service for correct treatment).

Alongside a CFB service contract which will provide 365 days per year cover plus service attendance by a CFB qualified engineer, as to and according to your running hours, plus an independent

boiler Inspector annual visit (essential for a pressured vessel), the 30HP boiler will give you peace of mind for all your steam needs.

Our 30HP skid units have been purchased by, Gritchie Brew, Salcombe Brew, Pressure Drop Brewery, Garage Beer Co. Sambrook's to name but a few.

For further information: www.steamboilers.co.uk

Brew-Technology at a price that’s right!

Expert engineering and service from Core Equipment combined with the high-quality fabrication skills from YoLong Brewtech has created a new force on the UK/EU brewing scene

To meet the needs of small and mediumsized craft breweries, Core and YoLong have developed a series of standardised brewhouse designs which can be ordered as is or modified to customer needs.

Core-Primary Brewhaus (5-20HL) allows customers who are just starting, to get going at an affordable price. This is an ideal solution for a homebrewer looking to start their first commercial venture or publican looking to diversify. There is an increase in demand for local and storydriven experiences in the market that the craft beer movement encapsulates, and the Core-Primary system enables customers to take advantage of that demand.

Microbreweries often find that they need to grow to meet demand. An essential step to enabling that growth is the ability to scale up efficiencies through more productive equipment. For the more advanced brewer, the Core-Principal Brewhaus (5-30HL) is ideal. Using rakes

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to increase extraction, combi vessels to decrease footprint, and skid mounted pumps/pipework to reduce installation costs, the Core Principal brewhouse range is size and efficiency at an affordable price.

As the total number of breweries increase, so too does the number of breweries expanding at regional level. To operate at a larger scale, higher degrees of automation are required to help control increased batch sizes. To meet this demand Core offers the Core-Pro Brewhaus (10HL-50HL) with PLC automation for valve control, touchscreen HMI, and full process control integration Complete control of the

Mash/Lauter temperatures to set recipes, additional safety features, and accurate material flows.

Core’s expert engineering and installation teams work hand in hand with YoLong engineers to ensure that your brewery equipment requirements are met each step of the way. With a knowledgeable and experienced UK team on hand to provide support and meet specific business needs, contact the sales team at Core Equipment to find out more.

For further information: www.core-equip.com

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SHOWCASE Production Equipment

Ninkasi supplies new tank farm for SALT

Ninkasi Rentals and Finance has just helped SALT to complete its new tank farm project. Salt (part of the Ossett Brewery Group) is currently enjoying high demand amongst its customer base, and several large orders have meant a need to increase production capacity swiftly and cost-effectively.

SALT approached Ninkasi for a financially viable solution to increase its production capacity with minimal capital outlay while still having the ability to determine how it wishes to handle any future transactions with Ninkasi. This meant that Ninkasi provided the upfront capital for the project while SALT received the tanks that it required to its exact specification.

Dr. Nadir Zairi, Managing Director at SALT said: “It was a pleasure to work with Ninkasi on this project for our business. SALT is always looking to work with professional and supportive suppliers and found that the ethos and customer service within Ninkasi really matched our own. We are currently going through a significant growth phase and as such needed to increase our capacity, with the current economic

climate and uncertainty in the market we felt that a rental solution provided the best possible capital advantages while also protecting the business from any unknown market forces which could impact and would be beyond our control. We are very happy with our choice and the service and value provided by Ninkasi.”

James Lewis, Managing Director at Ninkasi Rentals, said: “The tank farm project at Salt has been smooth sailing since day one. The vision that Nadir and his team have for the business is very clear and having known the business for many years, providing the capital for their expansion was something that we were always happy to support. We have found that many of our customers have moved into expanded small pack production during the recent pandemic, and as such Ninkasi has been able to provide additional tank capacity for them quickly and at a time to really help their business thrive in uncertain times. The flexibility of our rental offering is also very attractive to our customers during these uncertain times as it allows customers to grow with demand, but not necessarily risk the upfront capital of outright purchase.

“The 9 x 60hl tank farm at Salt is representative of how we can work alongside a customer to ensure that their their ambition and ability to meet their customer demand is done both cost effectively and smoothly.”

For further information: www.ninkasirentals.co.uk

Keg Clamp boost for forklifts at Camerons Brewery

Camerons Brewery Ltd is the largest independent brewer in the North East of England, with a brewery capacity of 1.5 million hectolitres and an estate of 75 houses, which range from community pubs and city centre venues, to restaurant and accommodation-based outlets.

The ongoing growth of the business together with the fast pace of the industry, demands a fast and efficient end of line logistics process. To ensure the brewery’s chain supply operations are as safe and productive as possible, it requires a fleet of reliable forklift trucks equipped with specialist Keg Clamp attachments, each capable of handling up to 18 kegs at a time.

The Keg Clamp attachments, provided

by B&B Attachments, were fitted to a fleet of four Jungheinrich trucks. This attachment provides secure clamping of kegs and casks and ensures ease of

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movement of both full and empty barrels around the yard and production facility.

It provides the driver with excellent visibility when approaching the load, increasing driver confidence and ensuring safe and secure handling on site.

The kegs are securely clamped between the three tines of the attachment. The tines include a special rubber insert to prevent keg slippage, and to secure any slightly smaller rogue kegs which may be included in the overall stack. A vertically adjustable, articulating load stabilising frame, moves downwards and holds the keg stack securely in place. The Keg Clamp standard features include; low profile, fast moving keg pack stabilisers, with long lasting rubber pad, wear indicators on tines, and end of stroke cushioning on side shift movement.

Richard Forster, Logistics Manager at Camerons Brewery, comments, “Camerons long standing relationship with B&B Attachments spans 11 years.

They are a trusted supplier, and the keg clamps provided are the most effective solution for improving productivity when it comes to our product handling.”

For further information: info@bandbattachments.com

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Breweries could achieve a significant reduction in their Water Use Ratio (WUR) if they re-evaluate their pump sealing plans says Rebecca Clubbe of AESSEAL Water consumption in the brewing industry remains high, despite concerted efforts to reduce waste and seek more sustainable processing methods.

Using the Water Use Ratio metric (total litres of water used to produce one litre of end product) the industry has achieved significant gains in recent years, conserving around 27 billion litres of water globally in the five years to 2017.

High water use cleaning and cooling processes are obvious areas where reductions are sought. However, pumps which are sealed using dual mechanical seals can also consume large quantities of water via the seal support systems.

Companies wishing to reduce their WUR would benefit from examining these more closely.

Pumps on hot wort, mash, kettle and adjunct duties, as well as clean-in-place (CIP) pumps, are typically sealed using dual mechanical seals. The inner and outer faces of the mechanical seals must be flushed with a cool, clean, lubricating fluid to prevent seal failure due to overheating and dry-running. This is supplied via an American Petroleum Institute (API) designated piping plan API Plan 55 - at a rate of 1.5 gallons (6.8 litres) a minute, and is usually discarded at end of the cycle.

However, these gallons of wastewater can be conserved if API Plan 55 pump sealing plan is replaced with a ‘continuous loop’ water management system. This comprises a modified API

Plan 53-A seal support system, which isolates cool, clean water in a vessel and recirculates it to the seal faces in a continuous circuit. With these systems water waste is reduced to less than a teaspoonful, mostly in the form of vapour.

Using data averages in the BIER Water, Energy & Emissions Benchmarking Study, 2018, one brewery producing 221,108 kilolitres of beer reduced its water consumption from 740,812 litres to 669,268 litres by employing a continuous loop water management system on 25 pumps. This corresponded to a WUR reduction of roughly 10%.

Rebecca has been the marketing communications manager at AESSEAL since 2016, following eight years working for Eaton Corporation, where she gained extensive industrial marketing experience. Having obtained a degree in Visual Communication in the early 2000s, Rebecca started out her career as a graphic designer.

The potential water conservation alone should be a powerful argument for considering a water management system which recycles seal flush water. However, there are additional operational and financial benefits to be gained.

AESSEAL is a global mechanical seal manufacturer. Based in Rotherham, it has 230 locations worldwide, supplying customers in 104 countries. The company prides itself on developing sustainable products which improve pump reliability and deliver swift ROI.

In a continuous loop system, the pressure of the water buffer is increased to achieve optimum barrier pressure across the seal faces, ensuring a regulated supply of clean lubricating fluid. This removes the risk of mechanical seal faces becoming contaminated by abrasive process fluids such as mash and wort.

The inherently closed design of a traditional seal support fluid vessel allows dirt and breeding bacteria to harbour, often undetected, in its interior.

Optimising pump efficiency

This creates an optimum operating environment, increasing the reliability and lifespan of the mechanical seal and, by extension, the pump. The improved operational efficiency leads to less downtime and lower maintenance costs.

Reducing risk of contamination

However, continuous loop water management systems such as AESSEAL EasyClean have the option of a seal support vessel designed with internal filler welds to eliminate bug traps and a detachable lower section to enable easy inspection and cleaning.

Enhanced CIP procedures, improved pump reliability and increased mean times between failure might be enough in themselves to merit a re-examination of brewery pump seals and support systems.

But the opportunity to achieve a significant reduction in WUR presents an opportunity for breweries to evidence their sustainable practices and environmental responsibility, as well as making a meaningful contribution to the global drive to reduce water waste.

Image by Traimak Ivan

For further information: www.aesseal.com

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SHOWCASE Production Equipment

Cool collaboration helps BrewDog push the brewing boundaries When hugely successful Independent Scottish craft brewer, BrewDog, was looking to make stronger beers and implement a faster, more efficient cooling process, Advanced Refrigeration and Hydratech combined their expertise to provide a solution that spoke volumes, literally.

Renowned for an experimental and innovative approach to brewing, BrewDog was trying to create a higher ABV beer by transferring product between fridge and freezer containers, which was particularly labour-intensive and made it hard to keep oxygen out of the product. Having worked with Advanced Refrigeration since its very early days, the brewers commissioned Advanced to run an experiment using two 4000L beer ageing tanks and a small chiller using mono propylene glycol (MPG).

All seemed ok until the temperature really started to drop, the viscosity of the MPG was increasing and shutting down the pump and system.

‘Everything was working until we got down to -9°C and at this point the viscosity of the heat transfer fluid was

such that the pump would stop and trip the system. We couldn’t get it low enough, it needed to get to -20°C to achieve the final strength of alcohol BrewDog were looking for,” recalled Jason Fraser, MD, Advanced Refrigeration. “The team knew the chiller and pipework were good, it was the fluid that was letting them down.“

Advanced called in long-term partners Hydratech for advice. The leading UK manufacturer of specialist heat transfer fluids, has decades of industry experience and technical knowledge of flow characteristics, thermodynamics and cooling systems.

Hydratech confirmed the expected viscosity issues of MPG at these low temperatures and immediately recommended Coolflow DTX. The high performance, non-toxic secondary refrigerant, with an operating range of -50°C to +80°C is widely used across the food and beverage sector by the likes of Diageo Distilleries, Tiny Rebel, Glenmorangie and Coca Cola.

The fluid was simply swapped out and the desired operating temperatures were achieved straight away, in fact the chiller managed to get down to -30°C. Performance wise, Coolflow DTX has

very similar heat transfer and pumping characteristics to Ethylene Glycol and therefore benefits from numerous operating advantages. Advanced Refrigeration was able to deliver a solution to BrewDog with reduced energy consumption, carbon emissions and time – better for business and better for the environment.

Advanced Refrigeration has installed DTX in many other systems and has seen similar savings on operational and running costs. It’s a proven solution they believe in.

“We have a big installation going into a multi-million pound ice cream factory re-development which will also run on DTX,” added Jason Frazer. “I’d recommend it to any clients that need to take their glycol down to extremities.”

For further information: tel. 01792 586800 e. info@hydratech.co.uk

New ownership at Tadcaster-based engineering firm

Tadcaster-based engineering firm, Tadweld, has announced new ownership as the business celebrates a record-breaking year despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Richard Byfield, John Denton, Iain Leedham, Paul Rose and Kevin Wheelock have taken the reins, heralding a new era for the firm which was founded in 1978 to create steel and engineering solutions for the town’s local breweries, and other businesses.

The specialist engineering firm now works with some of the world’s largest businesses and brands – including Coca Cola, Britvic, Guinness, and Diageo – providing innovative steel solutions from a team of highly-skilled engineers, installing time-critical platforms and

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walkways which are often the base for significant production line investment.

The new owners bring a wealth of manufacturing, operational and financial experience and are already driving positive results with 2019/20 – their first full financial year at the helm – seeing a revenue increase of 23% and a 97% increase in profits. As well as driving positive financial results, the new team has led on a rebrand of Tadweld including a new logo and a brand-new website which launched earlier this month.

With a large proportion of Tadweld’s customers being in the food and drink sector, the company plays a vital role in these supply chains and has continued to operate throughout the COVID-19 crisis wherever safe and possible.

Tadweld Directors (L to R) Richard Byfield, Chris Joy, and Iain Leedham

The sudden spike in demand experienced by these sectors when the UK government announced lockdown in March meant that Tadweld worked closely with its key customers to install new lines and increase production capacity, keeping supply moving in the industry.

For further information: https://tadweld.co.uk

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Cask and Keg Repair & Refurbishment Specialists

l A Genuine Alternative to Cask and Keg Replacement l Repairs to casks and kegs of all sizes l We can supply refurbished casks too l Fast On-Site Turnaround l Competitive Rates l Over 60 years of Industry Experience Please contact us for details of our other onsite services.

Head Office: 01283 740807 • Mob: 07952 152 099 Email: repairs@dhmbreweryservices.co.uk • Contact: Jason Miller

Web: www.dhmbreweryservices.co.uk • Twitter: @DHMBreweryServ

BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Autumn/Winter 2020/21

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SHOWCASE Production Equipment

New 6ixFabdec tanks boost Duration’s expansion Norfolk brewery Duration isn’t bowing down to Covid-19. The company has scaled to grow in 2021 expanding both its clean and wild production cellar capacity by 40% after using lockdown to increase its online reach.

In September, after 8 weeks manufacturing, 6ixFabdec installed 3 new tanks at Duration Brewing’s high-end Norfolk Brewhouse. The award-winning farmhouse brewery also has a new bottling line on order for the barrel store to start releasing its much anticipated mixed fermentation slow beers by Christmas.

Miranda Hudson, co-founder, said: “One of the upswings of this year is people want to support local and shop independently. First, we saw that via our own online webshop, then with beer shops selling off licence, and now we are seeing it in our local trade accounts that can open safely.”

In March, the business had only just opened after a year-long fit-out and employed just one other in the team alongside the two managing directors Derek Bates (Head Brewer) and Miranda

Hudson (Sales and Marketing). Too small to benefit from furlough the pair expanded to 6 core staff and 4 remote freelancers while rounding up funds to expand to meet demand with increased range and volume.

Derek Bates said: “It’s been a choppy ride adjusting to fast-moving trends and market closures but all the while we’ve kept our heads and made the beers we love. Thankfully we installed a start-tofinish high-end brewhouse and canning line and adding to the cellar is happening a little sooner than planned.

A bold move in these circumstances, but having made it this far we figure the only way forwards is onwards and upwards.”

Miranda said: “We adopted a grow or perish policy and ramped up what was already in the master plan and could not feel more supported and spurred on by our customers both locally and across the UK beer-loving public.”

Commented Sam Cabell, Director of 6ixFabdec Ltd, “It was great to hear of the news that Miranda and Derek had chosen 6ixFabdec once more to assist them with their next expansion project.

We supplied them with our first custom

built Koelschip as part of their wild fermentation project last year and that has obviously gone really well for them.

“With times as uncertain as they are it’s great to see a brewery such as Duration exceeding above many expectations. We fully encourage beer lovers up and down the country to try their beers if they haven’t already.”

For further information: www.6ixfabdec.com

Forest Road Brewery installation a real lesson in dogged

Two types of breweries open in London these days: small ones, where a homebrewer has decided to turn his or her skill into a business, and huge ones, where an injection of corporate cash allows a craft brand to expand rapidly.

Forest Road’s new brewery is not like either, as the brewery’s Pete Brown explains.....

“We started out of a backpack 5 years ago, and Forest Road and myself have big plans. The new brewery in South Bermondsey/New Cross will be the sort of place that any brewer would love to have.

“There’s a semiautomatic, 50barrel, four-vessel brewhouse capable of producing 30,000 hectolitres a year (that’s

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over 5m pints), although Forest Road expects to make 11,000 (almost 2m pints) in the first 12 months).

“But there is a tale behind the project.

Head brewer James was tasked with sourcing a used 7-10HL brewkit for the arch next to our taproom in East London. When he came across a 4-vessel 50BBL semi-auto brewhouse on auction in California, he sent it to me as a joke. But I emailed Vinnie Cilurzo of Santa Rosa-based Russian River Brewery, the owner of the brewkit which he’d custom-built from original equipment supplied by AAA Fabricators of Oregon, and said ‘hey if I flew out there would he consider taking it off auction’. He said sadly it was contracted through the auction guys, but he could put in the good word for me if I wanted it and gave me the auction house contact.

“I spoke to one of the guys there and said ‘Hey this is a pretty big flight (LHR SFO), just want to make sure there’s a chance we could pull this whole thing off

auction if we made a deal’. He said ‘if the price is right!’. I flew out the next day, drove up to Santa Rosa and met Vinnie the next morning at the brewery site.

“It was beautiful and in great condition.

We walked around the whole kit for about 2 hours. Everything was amazing. At the end I asked him if he would take some equity, or if we could pay in dollars etc. He smiled and reluctantly said ‘I wish you came to me earlier - it has to go through the auction guys’. So I flew back to the UK.

“We got some 3rd party appraisals on it and typed up a really professional looking offer letter to the auction guys. They replied 3 hours later with a counter-offer. Then I realised this could really happen. So then we looked into every other bit it would need: rigging it down onto trucks, sending it to Oakland, putting it on a boat through the Panama Canal - import tax, sending it up to London, ancillary equipment, labour and all the rest to get it going here.

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Complete brewing systems from Willis European Wolverhampton-based Willis European Limited supplies complete brewing systems from 2 BBL up to 40 BBL.

Over 60 years experience in the brewing industry helps Willis to design and supply the right equipment for the customers needs. With some 30 brewhouses installed over the last few years, Willis have become a specialist in providing cost-effective systems which work from day one.

Full 3D layouts along with implementation of the customers’ specific requirements allows Willis to offer full tailor-made systems to suit all production areas. Many options are available from Willis including mash tun rake facilities and full accreditation to the Pressure Equipment Directive 2014/68/EU.

The in house design team at Willis work closely with the customer to ensure that all their requirements are met, and projects are completed to agreed timescales. Electric and gas heated systems are possible. Installation and commissioning is carried out by Willis staff. Recents installations include complete 30BBL gas-heated brewery

perseverance!

“When I was comfortable with this, we sent back another counter halfway between our first offer and their counter. They accepted it at 11pm UK time.

“Only problem was, we had to get a $175K deposit to them the next day by 6pm - and we had no money. Like literally in our overdraft.

“So I didn’t sleep that night and fleshed out the entire project and beat every number to a pulp to make sure everything was watertight. At noon the next day I sent a ‘Hail Mary’ email to all of our investors, friends family and everyone I know that I’ve ever given a beer to. After hammering the phones all day long and a couple of angels and friends - I got the whole amount 10 minutes before the deadline.

“Finally got the kit here in March - right as lockdown began. After 5 years of battling for the moment!”

Congratulations on your perseverance!

setups for Dorking Brewery and St. Andrews Brewery.

20 BBL gas heated systems have also been supplied to Staggeringly Good Brewery and Axholme Brewing.

Customer satisfaction is of paramount importance to Willis, and its experience and long track record is instrumental in achieving this goal. The company not only supplies complete brewhouses, but is also able to supply individual vessels, either off-theshelf or designed specifically to customers needs.

The packaging side of things is also covered by Willis with the company acting as sole UK Agents for premier manufacturers such as Cime Careddu srl which manufactures counter pressure bottle and can filling systems.

Keg handling solutions are handled by a partnership with Bisaro, builders of a complete range of washing and filling systems for kegs.

Willis is able to design and supply complete bottle and can systems including all the ancillary equipment including depalletisers, labellers, end of line packagings and conveyor systems.

For further information: www.williseuropean.com

New Clearmark website unveiled Clearmark Solutions has launched a new and improved website with expansive coding and labelling content hub and virtual demonstrations.

Clearmark Solutions Ltd is a leading UK-based coding and labelling solutions and provider of ICE and Zebra coding equipment.

Clearmark’s new site showcases innovation and puts a greater focus on the company’s consultancy and partnership approach to working on tailored projects, helping customers achieve what may have once felt unachievable with other coding suppliers.

The new website contains an evergrowing resource hub containing technical guides, topical industry content, high-quality videos, the recently launched virtual demonstration room, and more. Visitors will find a new and improved format with detailed product

listings making information clearer and more user friendly.

The new site has a polished and professional new look with a technological focus and has been designed with the users in mind. It is easy to navigate with a streamlined customer journey enabling users to find useful content quickly.

For further information: www.clearmark.uk

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SHOWCASE Production Equipment

Asset protection for your cooling equipment

If you are planning to set up a new brewery or expand your current business, purchasing new or pre-owned production equipment will be inevitable.

The temperature control, cooling system hardware, chillers and heat exchangers will be some of the most expensive assets you’ll buy.

Whatever the case may be, you’ll want to be sure to get the most out of your investment, and for the longest time possible.

Whether your coolant equipment is new or pre-owned, being added to a new or expanding production line, your cooling system should undergo a thorough pre-commission cleaning process.

Dr Michael Reynolds, Technical Manager at fluids specialist Kilfrost (pictured), believes there’s hidden enemies and warns that brewers could unwittingly be putting the performance of their equipment at risk.

“Those hidden enemies come in the form of system contamination and corrosion, both simple to rectify with the help of the fluid experts. “Brewers want to concentrate on their beer, so don’t need to be antifreeze experts,” added Dr Reynolds, “but they are asking the right questions and taking precautions to best protect their assets from corrosion and contamination issues.”

“A process of flushing, chemical cleaning and sanitising followed by the addition of high quality, inhibited antifreeze will go a long way to rectifying these issues. Prolonging the lifetime of hardware, reduced downtime, fewer repairs, and more time spent brewing quality beers is the aim of good system preparation.

“New equipment will contain debris, welding slag, and potentially chemicals and residues from the manufacturing process. Lubricants and oils are also used to protect hardware during storage and transport. These contaminants need to be removed from the coolant system before it is put to use refit systems or pre-owned equipment will also need contaminants removed due to the fact these systems have been previously deployed. These contaminants would include degraded antifreeze, rust, scale and sludge.

“The Building Service Research and Information Association (BSRIA) has been developing independent guidance for everyone involved in the commissioning of closed-loop pipework since 1991. This tried and tested guidance was updated earlier this year in the form of BG 29/2020, and Kilfrost recommend its use to all of their customers. Visit www.bsria.com/uk/ “Once put in place, the coolant system is thoroughly cleaned using a pH neutral solution which is compatible with all construction materials. This should be followed by descaling if required. The system then needs to be sanitised using a disinfectant and biocide solution. The biocide needs to be effective against a wide range of microorganisms including Legionella.

“Once the system has been fully cleansed and sanitised you are ready to refill with antifreeze.

The quality and type of antifreeze used within systems are often overlooked, with many breweries opting for cheap high street antifreeze to operate the chilling systems. Poor quality antifreeze will not protect the

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system sufficiently from corrosion, which in turn can lead to beer being contaminated with unwanted chemicals in the event of a system leak.”

Kilfrost has specially engineered advanced low viscosity heat transfer and antifreeze fluids, with the development of ALVPLUS specifically for the Food & Beverage Industry. This fluid provides corrosion protection according to ASTM D1384 – a stringent industry standard that really puts the corrosion protection elements through their paces. Dr Reynolds works closely with ASTM International, one of the world’s largest standards developing organisations, used by many different industries, to ensure quality of antifreeze products. The standards are independently developed and maintained by ASTM. All fluids developed at Kilfrost are tested to and exceed this stringent qualification test. “We develop all of our products to the highest industry standards and I don’t accept anything less, and neither should our customers,” he adds.

“The ALVPLUS antifreeze also holds NSF certification and provides food and beverage manufacturers, including brewers, the knowledge they are in compliance with food safety regulations and that food service products, in the unlikely event of a leak, will be free of harmful chemicals.

Kilfrost ALVPLUS is trusted and used in many breweries here in the UK as well as in Europe and the Americas; by craft brewers and large breweries alike.”

Kilfrost’s Speciality Fluids Division provides antifreeze solutions as well as the cleaning products, part of its SF product range, to help brewers prepare their cooling system according to BSRIA guide BG 29/2020. There is also a state-of-the-art laboratory to analyse antifreeze currently within your system and can provide recommendations to ensure system protection and fluid longevity.

For further information: www.kilfrost.com info@kilfrost.com

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SHOWCASE Production Equipment

Controlled humidity improves productivity and health in the brewery

by Lindsey Henderson, Sales Director at Humidity Solutions Brewing is a complex, multi-faceted craft, and a conditions-sensitive business.

Carefully controlled temperatures and conditions are often crucial for the many different parts of the brewing process, from ingredients mixing to end-product storage.

The Problem

The air outside the brewery is, inevitably, laden with invisible water vapour that is constantly fluctuating in both quantity and specifications due to weather, season and time of day. When this enters the buildings in which the many tanks, pipes and structures used in brewing are housed, condensation and moisture can quickly form which, in turn, can lead to issues including: • Condensation forming and pooling on vessels, pipes, equipment, cold surfaces and floors • Corrosion and other damage to buildings, structures, fittings and equipment • Bacterial growths and mould that result in hygiene and compliance difficulties • Problems attaching labels to bottles due to excess moisture • Higher service and maintenance costs as a result of uncontrolled humidity

If mould develops in the brewery's storage rooms, the consequences are stains, unpleasant smells and material damage, and in some cases mould infestation can also lead to health problems for the room occupants. Whilst mould is not acutely harmful, it should nevertheless be taken seriously. In addition to damage and destruction of the labels in the brewery, mould is a sure

symptom of moisture problems and a sign of a bad indoor climate, as a very high level of humidity is required in the room for the mould to grow.

This unhygienic situation only gets worse with any steam cleaning, which means there’s even more uncontrolled moisture present in the air, though things look clean immediately after.

Fans, ventilation and air conditioning are rarely the answer, because they basically just replace one body of air with uncontrolled humidity with another – with just as little control.

The Solution

Desiccant dehumidification technology enables breweries to maintain control over air conditions at every stage – both during production and while the resulting beer is being stored.

This specialist technology is used to determine the dew point of the air so that condensation – and all its many resultant problems – simply cannot arise. When the relative humidity is brought below 65% at 20°C, condensation problems will be eliminated.

Humidity Solutions offers specialist humidity control advice and equipment for a wide range of industrial and commercial applications. The company is the exclusive UK distributor for Cotes AS, a Danish manufacturer of highquality desiccant dehumidifiers with a strong reputation for quality and reliability. Compact and robust units are available with automated precision control systems, comply with good hygiene practice, and are energyefficient, with minimal operating costs.

Furthermore, a unique add-on heat recovery module makes them the only humidity management solutions able to comply with the most stringent energy requirements currently in force anywhere.

Summary

The consequences of excessive humidity in breweries are far-reaching and costly

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for the master brewer. With a humidity of over 80%, mould growth is often an issue in basements and warehouses.

Although it rarely leads to direct health damage, mould must be taken seriously, because it is a clear sign of a bad indoor climate due to excessive humidity in the interior. The problem can be solved temporarily by removing mould in individual cases. However, if you don't focus on the source of the problem and the control of the humidity, you run the risk of moisture-related problems reappearing.

By dehumidifying the air through the desiccant technology, the brewer not only avoids condensate, corrosion and mould, but also ensures a good indoor climate, better hygiene conditions and a healthy working environment.

Lindsey has worked in the humidity control industry for over thirty years and been with Humidity Solutions since it started in 2008. The company is the UK’s leading independent specialist in humidification and dehumidification systems for a wide variety of industrial, commercial and residential applications. The team at Humidity Solutions will design, install, service and maintain bespoke systems to suit each unique requirement.

For further information: www.humiditysolutions.co.uk

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www.bulksystems.co.uk

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Showcasing the British spirit

HMRC licences for travelling and pop-up stills – down with this sort of thing!

Alan Powell

I’m aware of “travelling stills” and “off-site” pop-up operations of “distillation” of gin and other spirits and am asked from time to time what law applies to the licensing of such activities and whether my interlocutor “Can do it as well”.

After all, it’s good promotional activity for bars and events. Now, I believe I can tell you what the law says, but I can’t tell you what HMRC Policy at HQ will say or do, ‘cos I have asked. For them, each case is “treated on its merits”, which is like Father Jack being coached by Father Ted to respond to any question with “That would be an ecumenical matter”.

So, what is the underlying legal position?

Well, what we are really talking about is not “distillation” (of a fermented liquor) but rectification (re-distillation) and compounding of spirits using a still. We have to discount any of this taking place under duty suspension (“bond”) which requires a huge amount of legal compliance and excesses from HMRC in terms of warehousing law. But the use of duty-paid spirits for rectification has no revenue risk whatsoever – HMRC have had their tax “early” - so what are the implications?

Legal position The Alcoholic Liquor Duties Act 1979 (ALDA) section 18 states, in summary, that: “no person shall rectify or compound spirits or keep a still for that purpose unless that person holds a rectifier’s licence”. In terms of excise licenses more broadly, section 101 of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 states, inter alia: (1) An excise licence shall be in such form and contain such particulars as the Commissioners may direct and, subject to the provisions of any enactment relating to the licence or trade in question, may

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be granted by the proper officer on payment of any appropriate duty.

(2) An excise licence for the carrying on of a trade shall be granted in respect of one set of premises only, but a licence for the same trade may be granted to the same person in respect of each of two or more sets of premises.

A rectifier must be licensed but HMRC has no powers to refuse a licence in respect of an application to rectify spirits in respect of one or more “sets of premises”. OK, this might provide HMRC with the powers to allow a licensed rectifier to “extend” a licence to other “sets of premises” for “pop-up” type rectification of spirits. But there is more.

The “making of entry” of those premises.

The Spirits Regulations 1991 state: Rectifiers and compounders: entry of premises and plant 7.—(1) No person shall make use, for rectifying or compounding spirits, of any premises or plant unless they have first made entry of that premises or plant.

The Customs and Excise Act 1979 (CEMA) s108 sets out the form and manner etc of the entry process and what particulars are required by the Commissioners (ie the EX103(A) form(s)).

There is no discretion in the law as to whether a person can rectify/compound spirits without holding a licence or the making of entry of premises or plant (of the licensed place). Nor may the Commissioners refuse to issue a licence or accept an entry made out correctly.

The requirements of the law are predicated absolutely upon a licence being required for an excise trade carried out identifiable and entered premises.

The problem is that a person who intends to give notice to HMRC to rectify/compound duty paid spirits (even in tiny quantities) cannot apply for a

licence or submit an entry where the place for the activity will take place does not comprise “premises”. Notwithstanding HMRC “treating each case on its merits”, I can’t see any statutory discretion for such a “policy” and it runs contrary to what is said in section 14 of Notice 39: Spirits Production In the UK.

The legal requirements are consolidated “bits and pieces” probably across two centuries, from a time of rigid control by HM Customs and Excise (as was) such that no potential for illicit distillation could occur and, indeed, licences had to be paid for and renewed annually. In fact, until 1986, no person could own or use a still for any purpose without being licensed by HMCE. Those days are long past, but we left with archaic, and, frankly, pointless law and unclear and contradictory policy. If the spirits are duty-paid, that ought to be the end of it in terms of whether one is licensed to use a still or not or the premises “entered”; there is no risk at all to the revenue. So, going back to Fathers Ted and Jack: “Down with this sort of thing”.

Alan Powell

Alan Powell is a specialist excise duties consultant, formerly a Policy official within HMCE’s HQ teams. He is excise duties advisor to the Chartered Institute of Taxation, honorary advisor to the UK Warehousing Association and founded the British Distillers Alliance as a conduit for consultation with, and representation to, Government bodies and to assist and advise on technical matters.

The British Distillers Alliance (BDA) is a non-profit making body which provides a professional service for independent and craft businesses in the spirits production industry and supply chain. The BDA represents distillers, rectifiers and compounders and those in related sectors.

New members always welcome.

For further information: www.britishdistillersalliance.com

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SHOWCASE Business Services

New multi-pack applicator maximises can output

We asked companies supplying the following products and services to let us know something about themselves.... l Insurance, financial and legal services, recruitment, business training and other business services l Hardware & software designed to smooth administration and production flow l Drinks wholesaling and distribution, plus associated sales consultancies and websites

Control your brewery from anywhere with BrewMan V7 Premier Systems has announced the launch of BrewMan Version 7, the new web-based version of our brewery and distillery management software, used by 250 breweries and distilleries in the UK.

BrewMan V7 has been completely rebuilt to combine the features and functions that have been developed alongside our brewery customers for twenty years with new modern interfaces and intuitive controls that can be accessed through your browser on any device.

The key BrewMan features have all been redesigned, allowing you to calculate duty, track production, place orders, manage your stock and track casks, all from your mobile.

Based on years of feedback from our customers, we have developed brand new features into BrewMan V7 including: • Full cask tracking and traceability, all with your smartphone. You will not need to invest in scanners or other hardware.

• Integrated functionality - the new system has no separate modules or bolt-

ons, you will have access to all features from production control to duty calculation.

• New mobile-first design and user interface to allow you to control your business from anywhere, on any device.

The system starts from just £50 a month with all functionality available, allowing startups and small businesses to focus on making great products, not filling in paperwork.

Otter Beck Distillery has been one of several companies which has managed its business with a test version of BrewMan V7 for the last few months, giving us key feedback to aid development. Chris Ives had this to say: “The new BrewMan system is slick and really easy to use, both on our laptops and phones. The whole team have been able to quickly place orders, manage stock and calculate duty from anywhere, saving us a lot of time in the process. We would definitely recommend it to others!”

Fed up with losing valuable casks, wasting time calculating duty and trying to maintain traceability across paper and spreadsheets? If any of this sounds familiar, please get in touch with us.

For further information: premiersystems.com sales@premiersystems.com

‘No-App’ COVID-19 hospitality venue solution

London-based technology company, FORTYEIGHT.AI, has teamed up with Twilio, the leading cloud communications platform, to help pubs and other hospitality businesses across the UK reopen while managing the risks of a second wave of COVID-19.

Venues across the UK can now request visitors check-in at a pub or restaurant, simply by sending a six-digit code by SMS, and receiving an instant check-in confirmation, which can be visually confirmed by staff before permitting entry to the venue or being served.

In doing so, FORTYEIGHT.AI is increasing the efficacy of existing COVID-19 contact tracing, by improving consumer adoption and data quality and relieving the venues themselves of the burden of managing sensitive data.

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The ‘no-app’ mobile check-in solution provides a straight-forward, low-friction experience for the customer that does not rely on the venue investing in data protection systems or other hardware and leaves them free to focus on welcoming guests back after months in lockdown.

This comes on the back of new research that shows one in five pub customers admit to providing false contact information because they do not trust an establishment to keep it safe, not misuse it and delete it properly. However, Britons are most confident using their mobile phones to provide contact information via text message (83%) as opposed to less than half (47%) who are comfortable using QR codes.

FORTYEIGHT.AI will hold customer data in a GDPR-friendly “escrow”, for the minimum 21-day period advised by

Government, with safeguards in-place to minimise the risk of data misuse. In the event of a customer or staff member reporting COVID-19 symptoms, the business can log into its individual FORTYEIGHT.AI management dashboard and automatically inform all visitors within a specified time period, using a combination of real-time SMS and email alerts. If contact information is passed to an authorised body such as Public Health England for contact tracing purposes, again users are informed, providing transparency at all times.

FORTYEIGHT.AI will charge venues a monthly fee for the service which has been heavily subsidised thanks to Twilio’s support.

For further information: hello@fortyeight.ai

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SHOWCASE Business Services

Specialist lenders offer a helping hand to the brewing industry amid changing consumer behaviour

By Douglas Grant, Director of Conister Like all sectors of the economy, the brewing industry has been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions imposed on pubs and other venues which act as key distributors for the industry. While it’s easy to focus on the negative headlines, the industry has shown great resilience and adaptability.

Restrictions led to changes in consumer behaviour which have benefited some parts of the brewing industry – with carbonated beer enjoying improved sales driven by increased consumer demand at supermarkets.

Thanks to this pivot and supported by healthy demand, the industry is better prepared to face a potential second wave of Covid-19. Smaller sized breweries that have weathered the crisis thus far will continue to do so, having by now established themselves as being able to evolve and accommodate the change in consumer behaviour. Others should act fast to do the same.

Beyond Covid-19, domestic brewers are also shielded from some of the worst repercussions of a no-deal Brexit scenario - which is rearing its head again and currently believed to be the

most likely outcome of our trade negotiations with the EU - with little direct impact on their supply or demand from Brexit tariffs.

Nevertheless, a prolonged recession is a concern for UK brewers, together with the end of the furlough scheme and the wider economic impact of a potential no-deal Brexit. While the latter may not impact the brewing sector directly, it would likely extend the recession and dampen consumers’ disposable income levels.

Returning to the opportunity, beer, like chocolate, has historically been a commodity that does well in a recession as people treat themselves to ‘low cost luxury’ items while being less inclined – or, in the current situation, able to – splash out on expensive items, such as holidays abroad. Therefore, the UK brewing industry would be prudent to look for means to capitalise on the increased demand for their product while continuing to cater to the changing habits of their consumers – focussing on canned beers for supermarkets rather than kegs for pubs and venues, for example – to withstand upcoming challenges.

Rather than being directly impacted by the knock-on effects of a second wave of COVID-19 or Brexit, craft brewers are much more likely to suffer from the same challenges they have historically faced.

Namely, a lack of scale including balance sheet footings, being wrongly identified as ‘lifestyle’ businesses and stuck in a sector with high barriers to entry such as unique recipes and high capital expenditure alongside marketing and distribution costs.

Specialist leasors have been stepping in to help the UK’s brewing industry to

resolve some of these issues, enabling brewers to outsource some of their equipment so they can focus on valueadding activity. Indeed, some of these specialist lenders are currently witnessing unprecedented demand for their products, with some increasing their stockholdings to manage further growth.

As an example, BeerSwaps Limited, which trades as Ninkasi in the brewing tank leasing market, offers bespoke brewing tanks and associated equipment for leasing to the UK brewing industry.

With the support of Conister, which has provided liquidity and shareholder support, Ninkasi has become the largest tank leasing business in the UK, offering a tailored solution to brewers and supplying directly what is required rather than simply providing blanket funding.

Such specialist leasors may therefore be pivotal to the survival of many craft brewing businesses as they provide essential brewing kit with an attractive range of tailored lease products. This sets them apart from the traditional lenders who may only offer financing solutions, often unsuitable to the needs of the specific business or sector.

This tailored solution provides flexibility to a market that is often misunderstood by traditional, large-scale lenders who fail to realise the true hurdles domestic craft brewers face. With the reality of impending economic hardship looming for consumers, resilient brewers who have navigated the challenging landscape so far ought to look for opportunities to adapt their business models and capitalise on the continued demand for their products.

For further information: https://conister.co.uk

Douglas Grant is Director of Conister Finance & Leasing Ltd (Conister), the wholesale lending and broker division of Conister Bank Limited (CBL), an independent bank based in the Isle of Man established in 1935. Conister has been operating in the UK for over 20 years and lends to small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) to provide structured and bespoke wholesale funding solutions across a breadth of sectors. Douglas has over 30 years’ experience working in finance, initially with Scottish Power, before moving to the industrial sector to work with ICI and then Allenwest. Prior to joining Manx Financial Group PLC, he was the group financial controller and later financial director of various UK and Isle of Man private sector companies and has extensive capital markets experience.

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Scaling up no longer a step but a leap

By Jay Desai, Associate Director, Leyton UK Whilst Covid-19 may have been a boost for grocery and alcohol sales in broad terms, research from the Society of Independent Brewers states that small independent breweries across the UK suffered a decline in beer sales by 82%1 on average during the COVID pandemic. As a result, many businesses in the sector are now struggling to survive.

As many of the small independent brewers do not supply supermarkets, the closure and now reduction in pub and restaurant capacity has caused a decline in demand. This, coupled with social distancing measures, deduction of staff numbers and a generally challenging economic environment, is set to cause challenges for small brewers.

If the impact of a global pandemic wasn’t enough for brewers to face, the Government announced in August that it will be tightening the eligibility requirements to qualify for Small Brewers Relief.

The changes will reduce the 50% threshold from 5000hl to 2,100hl meaning that small breweries will have to pay more duty but leaving larger breweries to pay the same.

While there is a petition to reverse the changes (at the time of writing it has over 36,500 signatures2), brewers will need to prepare for the additional duty costs.

Similarly, for any microbrewery which had ambitions of increasing their yield, they will have to thoroughly check the viability of increasing production to a number which justifies moving on to higher duty tariffs.

As small independent breweries work to rally support for the petition, the Government has issued a response to the challenges raised. It has said that it considers “starting the taper at 370,000 pints strikes the right balance between guaranteeing the great majority of the smallest breweries the full value of the relief, while providing those who want to expand and grow a gentler transition to the main duty rate.”

Many within the industry disagree with this but until the issue generates enough traction to qualify for a debate in parliament, brewers should look for alternative ways to maintain cash flow or

growth opportunities.

One alternative, which is a lesser known Government incentive, could be used to offset the costs of upscaling or reducing the impact of the cost relief threshold, is the R&D tax relief. Many breweries, in particular microbreweries, would qualify for this relief with methods and practices which they are already using. As long as they are a limited company, there is large scope to explore for potential tax relief.

Examples of what would qualify for the relief include the development of new recipes, non or low-alcohol products, reduced calories, new bottling techniques or more sustainable production methods.

Importantly, these trials of new methods do not need to be successful to qualify for the relief. Equally, the company does not need to be making a profit to claim the relief, and it can claim for up to two financial years prior.

Through choosing the right R&D advisor, breweries can reap the rewards of the tax relief with minimal effort. Advisors should understand the industry to help brewers identify the methods that they are already using, and establish which ones qualify for relief. This cash can then be used to reinvest into the company to

Jay Desai is an Associate Director at Leyton UK, part of a global innovation funding consultancy firm. He has a background in scientific R&D and has significant experience in helping businesses benefit from various innovation schemes.

assist with upgrades or up-scaling. As we head into a new post-Covid-19 era, cash in the bank will be more crucial than ever.

1. https://www.siba.co.uk/2020/04/17/82-drop-beer-salescovid-19-lockdown-hits-craft-breweries-hardest/ 2. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/334066

For further information: https://leyton.com/uk

BarthHaas named headline sponsor of the International Brewing and Cider Awards Having been headline sponsor for the awards since 2011, BarthHaas is continuing its support of the world’s oldest international brewing and cider awards, which has earned the title of the industry ‘Oscars’ and attracts entries from breweries and cider mills from around the world.

First held in 1886 and now held every two years, the International Brewing and Cider Awards will take place in March 2021 at the National Brewery Centre, Burton-upon-Trent, and aims to showcase winning brewers and cider makers, of all sizes, from around the globe.

The awards invite brewers and cider makers to enter their finest beers or ciders to be blind-judged by an expert panel of commercially practicing brewers and cider-makers from around the world.

Ruth Evans MBE, Director of the International Brewing and Cider Awards said: “We’re delighted to welcome BarthHaas as headline sponsor for our upcoming event in 2021. As a long-standing sponsor of the awards, we’re immensely grateful for their continued support, which allows us to run our distinguished competition that champions the best of the brewing and cider making world.”

For further information: www.brewingawards.org

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SHOWCASE Business Services

Brewing up for a divorce

by Mark Chanter of Stephens Scown LLP Divorce or relationship breakdown can have a major impact on the financial stability of a family-run brewery. Mark Chanter, a senior consultant in the family team at law firm Stephens Scown LLP, explains how to minimise the chances of divorce or relationship breakdown having an adverse impact on your business.

These days there are numerous small family and other breweries where having to buy out somebody’s shares or interest would be very difficult and have a major impact on the financial stability of the business and affect long term planning.

A way to deal with this issue, or minimise the impact, is to have an agreement that either specifically deals with what happens in the event of a breakdown or puts such assets out of the discussion.

These days you can do this by having a cohabitation agreement, a pre-nuptial agreement or a post-nuptial agreement.

A pre-nuptial agreement sets out what will happen to assets on divorce.

Importantly it has to be signed up to four to six weeks before the big day.

A post-nuptial agreement is similar, except it can be entered into once you are married. So, if you had no idea you were going to set up your own brewery

when you got hitched, you can always review the situation later on.

As for a cohabitation agreements, they simply deal with unmarried couples and you can regulate both the arrangements within the relationship and on breakdown or just on breakdown.

Typically, such a document looks to put certain assets outside the pot when it comes to distribution on any breakdown, so whether you have been in a brewery family for generations or it is just your dream business, you can say that the business or its assets cannot form part of the settlement. This is done to minimise the risk of the business having to be broken up or saddled with a lot of debt.

If you are living together and you have a cohabitation agreement in place, it is a binding contract like any other type of contract and is enforceable as such. If you are married, the Court always retains the right to vary any agreement on a needs basis, but, and this is the crucial point, the Court does not start from what it would normally do when deciding how to divide the assets, rather it starts from the terms of the agreement and adjusts it appropriately. The effect is that even if the Court does not agree with the terms you reached, it will not rip up the agreement. Instead, it will use it as a starting point, and it can make a

Mark Chanter is a senior consultant in the family team at Stephens Scown LLP and part of the firm’s specialist food and drink team.

Mark can be contacted on 01872 265100 or solicitors@stephens-scown.co.uk.

large difference to the final outcome.

I have dealt with a situation recently where there was a small brewery where a younger family member had been given shares in the business. He had entered into a post-nuptial agreement before doing so. The Judge made clear that his wife had been fully aware of the plans in relation to the shares in the brewery and in the circumstances the Judge completely ignored their value when it came to dividing up the assets.

There is no certainty this will happen in every case, but it is always worth considering when you are going to acquire an interest in the family business, or you create your own unique business.

For further information: www.stephens-scown.co.uk

Johnston Logistics UK reaches one million orders During September Johnston Logistics UK reached a one millionth order milestone since the warehousing, logistics and fulfilment specialists’ formal establishment in 2008.

“Milestones are important in any business, especially one which continues to grow and evolve,” says Helen Johnston, daughter of the founder, Richard Johnston. “It’s difficult to comprehend one million separate requests for the receipt or dispatch of goods but each one has been handled with care by our great team.”

In addition, each year Johnston Logistics UK handles over one million individual movements of stock, such as fulfilling ecommerce orders or preparing

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individual consignments for retailers.

Founded by the late Richard Johnston, the company began in 1978 by storing grain, before moving on to goods including flat pack furniture and Jeyes cleaning products. Now the company boasts over 640,000 square feet of warehousing and works with a wide range of well-known and growing brands, retailers and manufacturers.

Johnston Logistics UK has a particular specialism in alcohol logistics and receive, store and distribute wine for names including Broadland Drinks, The Wine Society and Halfwine. As a Primary Consolidation Centre for ASDA, over 50% of all the wine the supermarket sells in the UK moves through their Norfolk site.

During the coronavirus lockdown,

Johnston Logistics UK saw an unprecedented increase in orders from their clients in wine and alcohol as Brits turned to their favourite tipple whilst stuck at home. They also helped other clients store high levels of unsold nonessential goods, which are now flowing again as retail has reopened.

For further information: www.johnstonlogistics.co.uk

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SHOWCASE Business Services

Close Brothers Brewery Rentals funds more canning and bottling lines In what has been a challenging year for brewers, many are looking to canning and bottling (small pack) lines to maintain business momentum. Close Brothers Brewery Rentals has been supporting brewers investing in packaging solutions to enable SKU changes.

“We’re speaking to all kinds of businesses about packaging equipment,” says David Beswick, Managing Director at Close Brothers Brewery Rentals. “A common misconception is that only larger companies use these types of assets, but many are available for SMEs too. Depending on the supplier and the size of line required, they can range from £20,000 up to £50m.”

Canning and bottling lines facilitate the processing and packaging of beverages.

They enable brewers to use their beer in cans and bottles, as well as kegs and casks, giving them the option to sell products off-trade and distribute them to more places.

“A key benefit is that cans and bottles have a longer shelf-life,” says Beswick.

“That means that whether your product is on the shelf in a supermarket or you’re selling them on-trade from the fridge, there’s less stress about lockdown causing stock losses.

“There’s no doubt that equipment for producing small packs was particularly useful this year, but we’ve seen a similar trend for packaged beverages for a while. It’s really common for brewers to design and market unique cans – craft beers really stand out in this area!”

For some brewhouses, the cost of developing new ways of working can be daunting, but Close Brothers Brewery Rentals is keen to help businesses manage cash flow while supporting diversification and long-term growth.

“We have a range of options available for those looking to invest in equipment,

including finance leases and hire purchase agreements,” says Beswick.

“We’re accredited to provide the government’s Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme too, which can go alongside these options to improve access to working capital.

“Our specialist teams have a wealth of experience and we have existing relationships with many suppliers, which helps us to organise and approve funding agreements. Our customers are able to choose from a wide range of approved industry leaders when it comes to sourcing equipment. We’re always focused on sustainable, supportive solutions.”

For further information: 01425 485 421 www.closebreweryrentals.co.uk

Improving safety and customer confidence as Covid-19 pandemic evolves

Nathan Evans, Food Operations Manager of SA Brain, outlines how Wales’ largest brewery and hospitality chain prepared for reopening and the challenges they have experienced during and since.

“Over the past few months, the traditional pub experience has transformed, and breweries, pubs, and restaurants have become ‘high risk’ venues – almost like how construction or manufacturing sites have been in the past. Safety has become a differentiator that will attract customers in the same way as product quality does.

“Ahead of reopening our premises we were faced with two challenges that went hand-in-hand: meeting safety guidance and industry standards and winning back customers. These challenges have become even more complex as we

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approach different stages of lockdown and new regulations come into play, such as the sixperson rule for meeting socially.

“As a business with multiple sites we can’t rely on the old methods of inefficient, infrequent paper and pen-based compliance audits. We have turned to technology and apps like iAuditor by SafetyCulture to perform risk assessments and report issues in real time, with all the data housed in the one place.

“The app integrates Covid-19 government guidelines and industry standards into customisable checklists templates. As our pubs are in various locations, it can be difficult to ensure processes are consistent across the entire group. We have built our own CovidD19 templates and checklists in the app based on our company policies, helping us to distribute best practices rapidly and

consistently deliver strong safety experiences for our customers. Having our safety reports housed in a centralised platform also provides us with real-time visibility into effectiveness and insights, across venues.

“The tech has enabled all of our staff to carry out inspections meaning health and safety doesn’t fall on the shoulders of one person at each venue. By empowering staff to conduct frequent, quick checks, we have been able to develop an early warning system to identify and remediate risks.”

For further information: https://safetyculture.com

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Ensuring supply chain efficiencies: how EDI protects margins

by Jack Naish of Transalis

Drinks manufacturers and retailers need to look more closely at extracting value from their back-office processes, including how trading documentation is managed, says Jack Naish, sector specialist at Transalis.

Margins in beverage retailing are under intense pressure this autumn. While ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ brought a muchneeded fillip for pubs and restaurants, the wider economic impact of lockdown looks set to challenge suppliers and distributors for some time to come.

Online ordering and home delivery is rocketing during the pandemic with consumers swapping trips to supermarkets and High Street shops for the ease of ecommerce and products brought direct to the door.

The highest profile market development in home delivery is the new tie-up between M&S and Ocado, putting both in direct competition with Waitrose.com.

The stakes are high for all involved. The problem with online food and drink retailing is that the profit margins on moving perishable items around the country are relatively small.

Getting the pricing right, battling the competition and keeping customers on board is difficult enough without dealing with Covid, but the pandemic rollercoaster continues both for online players and bricks and mortar outlets.

As well as ensuring onward distribution to consumers is financially viable, drink retailers and wholesalers have a tricky balance to strike in optimising the efficiency of their back-office processes, including their supply chain management. Done properly, it means you can avoid excess stock and markdown while shortening clearance periods and maintaining product availability.

The efficient management of trading documentation has a key role to play.

Electronic data interchange, or EDI, is the preferred solution for sharing

essential information associated with orders, invoices, advanced shipping notices and other trading documentation.

Over the years, EDI has introduced time and cost savings, improved accuracy and eliminated the need for most paper documents.

So why aren’t more retailers optimising their back-office processes with EDI? The answer lies in IT development generally, namely the relentless march of technical innovation coupled with user expectations.

If you are a retailer dealing with multiple trading partners, especially if together you are processing thousands of customer orders, you are likely to diverge in your EDI ‘world view’. This is because different users will have typically deployed a range of data formats, source files, interface files, management tools and processes. There will be different trigger points for extracting data, different ways of encoding and using data, and a spread of expectations on the outputs.

The best way to resolve all this is a managed solution that meets all the formatting and translation requirements of your supply chain.

Built-in integration means all your business documents, including structured and unstructured data, can be exchanged without you having to learn the technical ins and outs.

A cloud-based EDI solution such as Transalis OpenEDI achieves this. In a nutshell, it automatically maps the required data output from the source file into the relevant EDI format for you. And it is supported by a robust, agile, scalable and high-performance platform.

In a sense, the multiple pressures being felt in retailing right now constitute the perfect storm for which EDI was designed. Thanks to process digitisation, EDI paper-to-digital solutions take fluctuating workflows and orders in their stride.

This means retailers and wholesalers can enjoy new levels of supply chain agility

Jack Naish is food and beverage sector specialist at supply chain optimiser, Transalis. The principle aim of Jack’s role is to help clients leverage EDI technology, so enabling them to trade at a global level. To discuss how EDI can support your supply chain efficiency, contact Jack on 0845 123 3746 as they swiftly chop and change trading partners to ensure continuity of supply.

Order delivery and the all-important order-to-cash cycle are also accelerated thanks to the fact that cloud-based EDI completes transactions faster and more accurately than ever before.

Recent advances in technology mean cloud-based EDI solutions are no longer reserved for the bigger brands. They are now within easy reach of tier two and three suppliers.

With Covid and other factors intensifying the trend to online home delivery, and with the uncertainties of Brexit on the way, relying on antiquated systems means you risk missing out on competitive advantage at a time when opportunities may be few and far between.

Thankfully, when it comes to achieving cost-efficient document processes, EDI looks set to continue its role as the go-to solution for supply chain management.

For further information: www.transalis.com

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FOCUS UK Cider

SPAsoft showcases Cider Production System

With many years serving the brewing industry with robust and reliable software, SPAsoft now has a solution for cider makers.

SPAsoft’s cloud-based modular cider system has been built on the company’s successful Brewery Management solution. It integrates all the functionality a cider maker needs, from traceability of apples and ingredients throughout the process to live duty calculation.

Stock accuracy is managed by low cost reliable barcodes and enables detailed traceability, required by customers and Trading Standards, takes away the worry and detail required with a manual or spreadsheet-based system. Multiple warehousing, bonded and unbonded, gives flexibility to accurate remote stock holding. Keg assets are tracked using barcodes, improving turnaround, with accuracy reducing the number of kegs needed. Every invoice includes kegs being delivered and kegs on premises assisting with their timely recovery.

The CRM module generates sales with call scheduling, call back reminders and

it maintains a history of contact with the customer. It shows live accurate stock for all products, customer history and rapid order entry, enabling the sales team to input the order whilst talking to the customer. Remote access to all data is available for the sales team on the road.

Orders in the system can be scheduled, routed and once invoiced, the duty records are created.

With a live interface to Xero cloud accounting and transfer routines for many other accounts packages you can simplify your process from end to end.

SPAsoft Cider offers interfaces to all major web-shop packages, Shopify, WooCommerce, IZettle etc and accepts custom web-shop interfaces. Improving processing reliability and speed of

operation for reliable retail sales.

SPAsoft’s cloud hosting offers secure remote access and full disaster recovery 24/7. The company offers full support from day one in getting the system configured and running, data load, training and secure online support.

For further information: www.spasoft.co.uk

How physical filtration can lower production costs Pasteurisation has been used for many years as a method of preserving cider and beer and has been applied differently to achieve specific cider and beer characteristics.

Applying physical filtration in the cider and beer production process could lower cost up to 40% by minimising beverage losses and can also improve water and energy consumption.

Filtration and pasteurisation are methods used to treat the potential for cider and beer spoilage microorganisms and therefore prolong the shelf life of the final product.

However, in some cases pasteurisation could contribute to significant losses in final cider and beer volume. A whole batch can be sent to waste if inconsistency in temperature, pressure or flow rate is detected during the process.

Also, it is very likely that applying pasteurisation methods could negatively impact the flavour of cider and beer by

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accelerating the “staling” or “aging”.

Physical filtration on the other hand can remove the presence of spoilage organisms, haze from polyphenols and keeps appropriate yeast levels leading to a better method of controlling the flavour, stability, appearance and shelf life of the packaged products.

Fileder’s latest filtration technology incorporates a performance upgrade to a validated, integrity tested range of final stabilisation filter cartridges. The SPECTRUM Bubble Point range of Polyethersulfone media (PES) cartridges provides a unique alternative to cider and beer brewers applying physical filtration. Certified to Log7 reduction of spoilage organisms this range provides reliable brew quality.

This innovative range uses a highly asymmetric PES membrane media, with an initial increased pore capacity that significantly improves performance and

durability, so it’s critical for high load contaminant removal as found in beverage applications.

This new range extends membrane life in high loading applications and is suitable for use in many critical applications from biological filtration, through to the validated removal of spoilage microorganisms for beer, cider, wine and fruit juice classification

For further information: www.fileder.co.uk

BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Autumn/Winter 2020/21

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The world’s best selling plastic casks

Call 01432 453146 email: info@breweryplastics.com

www.breweryplastics.com BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Autumn/Winter 2020/21

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FOCUS UK Cider

New Cider House rules

Tony Hird, MD of Polykeg UK, talks about how one cider maker has shown tremendous determination and do whatever it takes to not only stay in business but to adapt and flourish in unprecedented times.

My very first meeting with Sue Vaughan, the Managing Director of Marches Bottling & Packaging/ Celtic Marches Cider, did not exactly go to plan. Sue had reluctantly agreed to meet to discuss our range of One-Way Polykegs.

Both companies were experiencing serious problems with their existing one-way kegs and were about to stop using them altogether. My efforts to reassure Sue that Polykegs were different, initially fell on deaf ears.

However, after much perseverance on our part - along with some cast iron guarantees about our kegs - Sue finally agreed to run a trial with us.

Fast forward six months and Polykegs were quickly growing to become a major revenue stream for their business. As Sue pointed out, “We had tried different suppliers of one-way kegs and had

always experienced problems. Initially I thought Polykeg would be the same as the others, but we were pleasantly surprised. Not only are Polykegs good quality and easy to work with, but the support we receive from the Polykeg UK team made a huge difference.”

Sue continues, “Polykegs allowed us to expand our export sales for draught products at a fraction of the cost of using steel kegs. We knew we were making good products with Thundering Molly, Slack Alice and Lily The Pink, our fruit cider range as well as our Abrahall’s and Pulp Ranges, and Polykegs allowed us to sell these brands into new markets for new customers to enjoy. We also started putting beer, wine and even cocktails into Polykegs. Within 6 months we had grown our business considerably.”

Then, as we all now know, the unthinkable happened. A global pandemic virtually closed down the hospitality market and literally overnight

the demand for kegs had dried up. The growth had been wiped out and both businesses along with most of the businesses in these sectors faced a very uncertain future. It is at time like this when true entrepreneurship shines through. Many companies had to adapt and change their business model to survive. Both companies did just that.

Sue had already been thinking about expanding their bottling line. When Covid-19 struck she immediately saw an opportunity to supply ‘off trade’ with small pack. They invested in a new bottling line and as demand for ‘off trade’ increased they were quickly able to supply what was becoming a large gap in the market.

Sue comments, “We invested in a new bottling line as COVID kicked in and it has run daily from Monday to Saturday since it was commissioned. This was a lifeline for Marches Bottling and Packaging as packaging for the on trade in kegs and bag in box dropped away.

Many small companies struggled to get product packaged as off trade sales soared and lead times for contract packaging increased considerably with major contract packers. We were also able to keep our sister company Celtic Marches Cider fully supplied throughout Covid as well as many smaller producers.

Furthermore, Marches Bottling and Packaging launched a hand sanitiser range at the start of Covid which has continued to steadily grow.”

Since the partial easing of lockdown, Polykeg have seen a steady increase in demand from both new and existing customers.

Marches Bottling and Packaging and Celtic Marches Cider are a great example of how a business can find ways to adapt and change through very difficult circumstances. Those changes have not only helped them survive but have taken them into new products and markets which will ensure their growth and prosperity for many years to come.

For further information: +44 01388 433434 www.polykeg.it

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NEWS Bar & Cellar

Refrigeration manufacturer initiates relocation plan

Hubbard Products Ltd. has announced plans for a relocation into a brand-new site in Ipswich, Suffolk. The relocation is planned for early 2021 into a ‘state-of-theart’ 80,000 sq. ft manufacturing facility at Futura Park. The new development is designed to meet Daikin Global Production Standards as part of its ‘Fusion 2025’ plan for business expansion in the UK and Europe.

A ‘Breaking Ground’ event took place on the 8th of September 2020. Present at the ceremony were: Hubbard Products; Ilias Katsoulis (CEO), Dougie Stoddart (Commercial Director), Liz Gosling (Financial Controller), Nick Vantine (Operations Manager). Ipswich Borough Council; Cllr David Ellesmere, Cllr Sarah Barber. AquiGen (Developers); Tony Chambers , Paul Isaacs , Neil Ridley Marbank Construction (Design & Build contractors); Jamie Murray (Construction Director) and New Anglia LEP; Simon Papworth

CEO of Hubbard Products, Mr. Ilias Katsoulis commented: “We welcome the

opportunities this exciting and innovative site will bring in creating the perfect environment for excellence in manufacturing, quality and improved efficiency. The development will generate new value for Hubbard’s ‘blue-chip’ customers as well as the local community, by providing advanced products and job opportunities for the next five years and beyond.”

Hubbard Products Ltd. is one of the UK’s leading designers, manufacturers and suppliers of commercial cooling and transport refrigeration equipment with more than 50 years of experience and has earned an enviable world-wide reputation for innovation and design-led excellence. Part of the global Daikin Group of companies, Hubbard Products has a well-earned reputation for innovation and design skill in the field of refrigeration and heat recovery. From transport through to commercial refrigeration, Hubbard Products can be found in all corners of the cold-chain and now, in the field of heat recovery from both ground and process sources.

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is a score for T&J Installations

Ilias Katsoulis (CEO Hubbard Products) left, and Paul Isaacs of AquiGen (developers) break the ground of Hubbard Products' new 80,000 sq. ft manufacturing facility at Futura Park, Ipswich.

For further information: www.hubbardproducts.com

RLBS call to EWL customers

RLBS Ltd has announced that the company has purchased the manufacturing and equipment supply portion of EWL (England Worthside Ltd) and are inviting all previous customers of EWL to enjoy a continuation of supply.

In conjunction with key partners, T&J Installations has delivered an extensive beer dispense installation at the state-of-the-art Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The beer dispense equipment installed includes traditional hand pulls and innovative volume dispense technologies such as tank beer, Berg FastPour and the Bottoms Up beer system®.

The Stadium now features The Goal Line Bar – the longest bar in Europe – so called because it stretches over 65 metres, the entire length of the goal line.

Ian Jones, Managing Director of T&J Installations, said: “This was a substantial, long-term undertaking for our business, and we have been

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privileged to be a part of this project and the stadium itself."

The success of the fit out sees the stadium setting a benchmark in the Premier League for how current and future stadiums can service their visitors.

For further information: info@tjinstall.co.uk

In addition if there were any projects that customers were considering asking EWL to design and manufacture for them, RLBS has also purchased all the intellectual property and so can assist with that.

RLBS Ltd is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers and refurbishment specialist of beverage dispense equipment.

For further information: steve.cartwright@rlbs.ltd.uk

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NEWS Containers

New KeyKeg and UniKeg size available for import OneCircle has announced the launch of the 1/6 Barrel (bbl) KeyKeg and UniKeg, developed and produced in and for the USA. This size connects seamlessly to the distribution channel, stock, and dispensing systems.

Now available, the 1/6 Barrel KeyKeg offers a superior barrier, locking in freshness and proven longer shelf life (bag-

in-keg); Dispense with any type of gas | including air; Extreme damage and pressure-resistant - Double wall design; Customized branding possibilities to grow your brands visibility; Perfectly stackable and stable for handling and logistics; 100% recyclable and circular by design.

Also now available is the 1/6 Barrel (Sankey D) UniKeg. Assets include being extremely damage and pressure-resistant Double wall design; Lightweight; Perfectly

stackable and stable for handling and logistics; Customized branding possibilities to grow your brands visibility; Preflushed with nitrogen; 100% recyclable UK customers can order the 1/6 bbl KeyKeg or UniKeg directly via info@keykeg.com. OneCircle is looking to work with official resellers for smaller amounts in the near future.

Helping brewers battle barrel loss

by Dr Tony Kington (PhD), CEO of Omni-ID

As the hospitality industry works to recover from three months of Covid19 lockdown, any unnecessary costs are being tackled. Loss of empty beer barrels is a case in point.

Identification tags often get dislodged when kegs are stacked, so they are delivered back to the wrong brewery, or customers simply hang on to them.

A sobering thought Each barrel is worth approximately £75 and keg loss can add thousands of pounds to brewers’ annual capital costs. UK’s notfor-profit Keg Watch helped brewers to recover 166,625 containers, between April 2019 and March 2020, worth £12,496,725.00.

Keg loss is not just a British problem. The Brewers Association has estimated that, in the US alone, each brewery loses 3%-5% of its kegs and that global keg losses cost the industry between $300M and $500M each year.

If you liked it then you should have put a tag on it Asset-tracking company, Keg Hounds, set about tracking down stray barrels on behalf of brewers. It commissioned British radio frequency identification (RFID) pioneer, Omni-ID, which makes on-metal identification tags for Ford, Daimler and NASA, to develop a robust tag that could be quickly and economically attached to stainless steel beer kegs, without being dislodged when barrels are stacked. Barrels have a rough life: left out in the rain, bashed by forklifts, jiggled about on the back of lorries, rolled down into cellars. The obvious solution is to weld a metal tag in place, however, this adds cost for brewers.

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The hunt for the perfect keg tag While barcodes and radio frequency identification (RFID) are complementary rather than competing technologies, they are suited to different applications. A bottle of beer on a supermarket shelf suits a barcode, a lorryload of beer kegs from different breweries warrants RFID devices.

Barcodes are suited to line of sight applications, if a small amount of static asset or inventory data needs to be captured, where the barcode is readable by a human or machine, when a single item needs to be tracked and where the barcode is likely to remain legible in its operating environment.

RFID is more suitable for warehouse and logistics applications requiring a distance of 1m to 10 metres between the asset and the RFID reader and when there is no line of sight between asset and reader; when there is more asset data to capture and where multiple items need to be tracked simultaneously. RFID is also helpful when assets need to be tracked over a much larger territory and for environments where a barcode might become obscured or unreadable owing to contaminants.

The Passive Approach The RFID market is generally divided into passive devices and active devices. Passive devices signal their location and identity to the reader. Active devices transmit their location, identity and status of the asset to which they are attached, such as whether they are hot, cold, moving, or stationary, depending upon the sensors that are integrated into the device.

Passive RFID involves labelling each asset with an integrated circuit and antenna and communicating over wireless frequencies between the antenna and RFID reader.

Omni-ID prefers to use ultra-high frequency

For further information: info@keykeg.com

(UHF), which offers a faster data transfer rate and longer read range than lowfrequency (LF) or high-frequency (HF) and is a great match for industrial and logistics applications such as delivering empty beer barrels back to the right brewery. UHF RFID also offers the advantage of being able to track multiple items at once, such as barrels being loaded into a warehouse.

Increased development of international standards and protocols and more mainstream adoption of RFID have driven down the costs of RFID hardware and integrated circuits, making them far more affordable and reliable for warehouse applications. To make the tag commercially viable, Omni-ID also had to balance the application of the ideal technology against the cost of each tag.

Stay!

Our research and development team in Surrey came up with a cost-effective onmetal passive RFID tag that stays in place without needing welding, adhesives or special installation tools and is highly resistant to rainwater. Its dust and moisture resistance has been IEC rated at ingress protection level 68 (IP68). The robust tag clips securely inside the lip of each barrel in under 5 seconds, can be read by an RFID scanner from 8 feet away and lasts for up to 20 years. It has just been granted patent number 10,748,051.

Lost and Found To date, Keg Hounds has used the tags, coupled with its app and analytics, to help breweries in the UK and US to identify the location of over 140,000 missing kegs and save more than £10.5 million in barrel losses. We’ll drink to that.

For further information: www.omni-id.com

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D o O fr th d d te s w

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NEWS Ingredients

60 years combined service comes to an end Murphy & Son Ltd has said farewell to two of the longest standing members of its “working family”.

At the end of September, Technical Director, Christine Fleming and Manual Handling representative, Pete Lawley left their current roles with the company.

Although taking much deserved retirement, Christine (pictured below) will still be an integral part of the company as a member of its board of directors.

Christine Fleming joined the company on December 1st, 1989 and worked in the laboratory for many years, looking after batch cards, production planning, customer and in-house testing, H&S and risk assessments company procedures.

Christine was introduced to the board as Technical Director and after many years in this position in 2010, she took the helm of the ship as Managing Director for the next nine years.

She stepped down as Managing Director last October and passed the torch to then deputy Managing director, Charles Nicholds. Christine stayed with Murphy’s for another year, as Technical Director, on a part-time basis, to pass on the knowledge of the duties that she performed daily.

Said a spokesperson; “On behalf of everyone at the company, we would like to congratulate Christine on her retirement from Murphy & Son Limited.

“As many of you will know, Pete Lawley was the previous chairman of the BFBi for several years and continues to work on the board of directors for the BFBi.

Pete (pictured above right) boasted a 29-year tenure with Murphy & Son Ltd as a Manual Handling expert after joining in April 1991. As a qualified Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor, he offered his extensive knowledge of handling and safety procedures to many breweries across the UK.

Continued the spokesperson; “We would like to wish Pete every success with his micropub ‘The Redemption Ale House’ in

Heanor and look forward to welcoming him back to Murphy’s for consultancy in future.

“While you will be missed by all of us at Murphy and Son, all your hard work and diligence have greatly benefited our company, and we hope that the remaining employees here will strive to follow in both of your examples.

“We have all thoroughly enjoyed working with you both during your time here, and we consider you not only assets to our company but knowledgeable and driven individuals that have seen Murphy & Son grow to what it is today.”

For further information: www.murphyandson.co.uk

American hop supplier partners with UK distributors

Yakima Chief Hops (YCH), a 100% farmer owned global hop supplier, has partnered with brewing product distributors Brook House Hops Ltd in the United Kingdom and Loughran Brewing Stores Ltd in Northern Ireland, to better serve local customers.

Owned by 15 hop growers from across the Pacific Northwest, YCH is committed to forming strategic partnerships with approved distributors to work alongside its direct regional sales team. These partnerships not only benefit the customers but also align with YCH’s company values.

The UK & Ireland in particular have experienced significant growth in the craft beer community, and by working with local distributors, YCH is able to offer a variety of options to craft

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breweries, big and small, to get the best hops into their beer – be it working directly with YCH, or via one of the approved distributor partners. These partnerships also create value for the brewing customers as they allow for more flexible delivery sizes, access to local YCH inventory and improved delivery times.

“At YCH, we value the opportunity to connect with breweries of all sizes, no matter where they are in the world,” said Maria Skalli, European Distributor Accounts Manager at YCH. “Local distributors are particularly wellequipped to work alongside our regional sales managers, to help us reach and satisfy the needs of breweries of all sizes and needs. Our local YCH team is looking forward to working with Brook House Hops and Loughran Brewing Stores.”

Both Brook House Hops Ltd and Loughran Brewing Stores Ltd have local refrigerated warehouses, allowing them to deliver products to YCH’s exacting standards and with quick turnaround times.

“Partnering with YCH is another big milestone in the growth of our business,” said Sebastian Nielsen, Sales & Marketing Director at Brook House Hops.

“They visited our farm a couple of years ago and inspired us with best practices around hop growing, storage and processing. We share the same values around quality and maintaining close relationships directly with brewers, so it is a perfect match that will benefit our customers greatly.”

For further information: brookhousehops.com

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NEWS Ingredients

Lallemand Brewing looks at 2020 in review

As a global team, Lallemand Brewing worked hard to support its customers through the pandemic with a multitude of educational webinars as well as regional initiatives to offer direct and meaningful financial support.

This work did not slow during the year, as the company felt that product launches would provide the sense of normality everyone was hoping to feel. In 2020 Lallemand Brewing added three innovative brewing products as well as several new educational offerings to its portfolio.

After years of research, development, and collaboration with the University of the Sciences (Philadelphia, USA), Lallemand Brewing introduced its first Non-Saccharomyces yeast in dry form under the WildBrew™ product range: WildBrew™ Philly Sour. Isolated from nature, this yeast is able to produce both lactic acid and ethanol during primary fermentation.

Expanding the “We Brew With You™” concept even further, LalBrew® Verdant IPA yeast is the result of a collaboration between Lallemand Brewing and Verdant Brewing Co, a craft brewery focusing on IPAs and modern hop-forward styles.

LalBrew® Verdant IPA was selected for its performance and unique sensory characteristics when used to create hoppy styles. The availability of this yeast in a dry and stable form gives brewers great opportunities to create diversity in their IPAs. In addition to characterising its yeast

portfolio, Lallemand Brewing has been working on characterisation with regard to the specific enzymatic activities associated with hop flavour development. In early November, Lallemand Brewing released ABV Aromazyme, an enzyme preparation with a strong β-glucosidase activity. ABV Aromazyme is a unique enzyme which hydrolyzes glycosidic bonds, liberating monoterpene alcohol compounds thus increasing the complexity of the aroma and flavour profile in beer. The application of ABV Aromazyme during fermentation, together with specific brewing yeast from Lallemand Brewing, provides brewers with the opportunity to improve their hop utilisation. ABV Aromazyme is a product of AB Vickers, the leading global producer and supplier of process aids.

Siebel Institute of Technology has also been very busy in 2020. With a move to a brand-new campus location, new online learning platform and several new course and lecture offerings, Siebel has worked to provide more options giving students more control over their educational journey. The WBA Specialized Lectures cover a multitude of specific topics on all processes of beer production. These advanced knowledge level lectures can be taken individually, making them perfect for those looking to increase their knowledge in a particular area, or business owners wanting to spread education throughout their workforce.

Siebel also launched two new intermediate knowledge level course offerings within its World Brewing Academy. Both

Muntons generating energy locally

Working in conjunction with AMP Clean Energy, Muntons, the malt and malted ingredient manufacturer, has signed an agreement to install a new Energy Centre at its site in Stowmarket.

The new energy centre will be located in the North-West corner of the site and will include a Biomass boiler, a gas-powered Combined Heat and Power generator and two, back-up, gas-powered boilers.

This new facility will provide virtually all of their site’s future steam, heat and electricity requirements, whilst also significantly reducing its carbon footprint.

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Mark Tyldesley, Muntons Group Managing Director, commented: “We have recently installed a Biomass heat and energy plant at our maltings in Bridlington in Yorkshire (pictured), and have already seen significant benefits, including a dramatic reduction in our carbon footprint.

“So much so, that with our new plant at Stowmarket this will bring us in line with our science-based target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 45%, based on 2010 levels by 2025. We are delighted to be able to celebrate another major milestone in the history of the site

courses are offered on the new online learning platform, which allows students to begin courses at their convenience while maintaining access to dedicated educators and industry experts as they learn. Both courses offer quick, yet indepth instruction on the most important topics in brewing, giving students a rapid route to success. The WBA Fundamentals of Brewing Technology is a web-based course that covers the essential topics of beer production. The concept for the course was born from an increasing demand for shorter, intermediate-level offerings available to students with limited time and finances. The WBA Curso Corto en Elaboración de Cerveza is a new Spanish course offering which also covers the fundamentals of Brewing Technology. The course was created with the intent of supporting the Spanish speaking brewing community by making affordable education more accessible.

Both courses have dedicated tutors available to assist and support students throughout their studies. Siebel will continue to move all existing courses to the new and improved online learning platform throughout the end of the year and beyond.

In continuation of Siebel’s enduring pursuit of brewing excellence, this past year also saw the launch and growth of the Siebel/WBA Alumni Association, created with the goal of supporting former students with resources for continued education, connection with other alumni, and job opportunities.

For further information: www.lallemandbrewing.com.

at Stowmarket and look forward to a bright future of sustainable energy supply of which we can all be proud.”

Work on the new facility will begin shortly and it is anticipated that the new Biomass plant will begin generating heat and electricity for Muntons from early spring next year.

For further information: www.muntons.com

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NEWS Ingredients

Totally Natural Solutions signs deal with New Zealand grown hops supplier

UK-headquartered Totally Natural Solutions (TNS), a provider of innovative, natural hop oil extracts to the brewing industry and beyond, has signed a major partnership with NZ Hops Ltd, New Zealand’s leading supplier of NZ-grown hops to the world.

This international deal is part of TNS’s rapid expansion which has seen it grow from start-up to a global brewery partner within eight years. The company was setup in Tonbridge, Kent in 2013 by a Scot, Colin Wilson, who had been a director with Barth Haas, the world’s largest supplier of hop products and services.

Wilson has ambitious growth plans for TNS, including tripling its turnover to £10 million over the next three years and the firm is investing heavily in staff development and systems.

more efficient and sustainable access to NZ Hops worldwide. With a focus on sustainability, TNS uses patented hop oil separation processes to deliver clean label hop extracts for the developing craft beer sector and for global brewers.

TNS uses a 100 per cent natural process of oil extraction to retain the quality of aroma and flavour profiles from hop cones. No chemical solvents or additives are involved.

The natural extracts can be used to complement or replace the use of hop cones and pellets, adding aroma and flavour impact across a range of lager, IPA and low alcohol beer styles.

This partnership with NZ Hops Ltd is expected to deliver 50 per cent turnover growth to TNS in the first year.

TNS will put £1m of capital expenditure into the business and immediately create five new jobs to increase its staff to 25.

TNS’s mission is to be the partner of choice globally for innovative natural hop extracts and this joint venture helps it achieve that aim and validates its technologies.

The increasing popularity of low and noalcohol beer brings additional challenges in meeting flavour expectations which TNS’s hop oil extracts are well placed to meet. They provide the required flavour profile, improving the sensory experience for the consumer.

Simpsons Malt, the fifthgeneration, family-owned malting company, has entered into an agreement to acquire 40 acres of land in Speyside, Scotland, where it intends to build a state-of-the-art maltings with malting barley storage facilities, subject to planning and due diligence.

sites in the country to three, with its other maltings in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland – where the company’s headquarters is located – and Tivetshall St Margaret, Norfolk.

There are multiple benefits for brewers who use TNS’s hop oil extracts to improve the intensity and consistency of their beer flavours. The hop oil extracts can reduce waste by allowing the

balance of bitterness, aroma and flavour to be easily modified. They can also help reduce the amount of stock that brewers need to hold and simplify the supply chain, a major advantage given the disruption caused to logistics by the Covid-19 global pandemic.

Colin Wilson (pictured), TNS managing director, said: “This agreement is part of an exciting growth phase for us. Forming a partnership with the leading hop cooperative in New Zealand allows us to apply our knowledge and skills to their diverse and unique range of flavours and aromas. It’s a perfect marriage of technology, expertise and the finest quality raw material.”

For further information: www.totallynaturalsolutions.com

Simpsons plans expansion after Speyside purchase

The partnership is designed to deliver

The land is situated near the town of Rothes, ten miles south of Elgin, in a region that is world-famous for its Scotch whisky distilleries – many of whom use the company’s malts in their whiskies.

The construction of a new maltings near Rothes would expand the largest independent UK maltster’s number of

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Speaking about the agreement, Simpsons Malt Managing Director, Tim McCreath, said: “I am delighted to announce that we have entered into this agreement, which aligns with the company’s long-term strategic objectives.

“Having a maltings and malting barley storage facility in Speyside is something we have given serious thought to for a number of years and, subject to planning and due diligence, we will begin construction when the time is right and demand is there from our customers.”

For further information: www.simpsonsmalt.co.uk

BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Autumn/Winter 2020/21

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Thomas Fawcett & Sons Ltd Est. 1809

Malts for Champions All Malts delivered ON TIME to your specification, crushed or whole.

The Company is very proud to have supplied malt to the brewers of 13 CAMRA Supreme Champion Beers of Britain since 1997 including Castle Rock

Harvest Pale

Main products include: Maris Otter, Halcyon, Pearl, Golden Promise & Propino Ale Malts together with the complete range of Speciality Coloured Malts including Wheat, Rye and Oat products.

Thomas Fawcett & Sons Limited Eastfield Lane, Castleford, West Yorkshire WF10 4LE

Tel: 01977 552490/552460 Email: sales@fawcett-maltsters.co.uk

BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS • Autumn/Winter 2020/21

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NEWS Branding & Marketing

Classic designs from LemonTop

LemonTop Creative has just produced a range of designs for bottle labels for Castle Eden Brewery.

Originally brewed at the world famous Castle Eden Brewery, Castle Eden Ales were once the toast of the North East.

The brewery sadly closed in 2002 but has since been reborn and has now produced its first beers based on the classic Castle Eden range. The brand was reintroduced, using the same traditional recipes and ingredients, in 2018 from the brewery’s new home in Seaham Harbour.

Said Andy Mogg of LemonTop, “Castle Eden Brewery asked us to create a range of bottle label designs for the new Classic Castle Eden range. They wanted to portray the history and background story of the original Castle Eden area in an eye-catching design that could be used across the entire range. The designs needed to be different enough to stand out onshelf yet retain that classic look and feel for which the original Castle Eden Brewery had been known.

“To answer the brief and create a range that looked classic and told the historic story of Castle Eden we first created a series of illustrations of the castle itself,” continued Mogg. “Adding little touches of colour and scenery allowed us to work towards a classic heraldic theme that would work across the entire range.

Changing the base colour slightly for each different beer meant the beers would all sit together as a consistent series of beers. We had decided quite early in the process to try to work a heraldic shield shape into the design and the client agreed that it would be an added bonus to have the label in a shield shape.

“We are used to clients challenging our creativity and Castle Eden Brewery was no exception. They knew they wanted their beers to stand out and because we had used a shield shape for the label it was a logical step forward for the label to have a metallic look. We solved the problem by having it overprinted on a

metallic paper ensuring that it would stand gleaming from the pub and supermarket shelves.

He concludes, “Castle Eden Brewery was delighted that we had captured the essence and the history of the original Castle Eden in one beautifully composed illustration. Having the labels in the shape of a metallic shield was an added bonus and bonus and the client was extremely confident that these would stand out on the shelf against any other beers.”

For further information: www.lemontopcreative.com hello@lemontopcreative.com

Above and beyond – the pandemic

by Myles Pinfold

Predicting the future – what’s going to happen in the next week, let alone next year – has become a very precarious business. But while we have to stay flexible and agile to survive in the very short term, true success will come from longer-term planning, and careful brand management will certainly help you tough things out.

The immediate challenge is how to think and act in new ways to anticipate and adapt to new consumer behaviour patterns in this current Covid-infected environment, culminating in Christmas, the busiest time of the year. For the offtrade, Christmas is pretty much a done deal for the major retailers and to be frank, they have more than enough on their plates as it is. The order of the day is online sales, beer on demand (including growlers and mini kegs) and gifting. For the on-trade, it is all about getting closer to your customers and

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supporting them in every way you possibly can – it’s at times like this that we all find out who our true friends are.

Oh, and also making sure your brewery tap is fully operational. Get it right and it will sustain you through to next spring, and beyond.

In the longer term the key issue is all about cutting through the noise – and let’s face it, there is one heck of a lot of noise in the beer sector – and communicating directly to consumers in an intuitive way that builds your equity.

Retaining a clear vision, a compelling proposition and a differentiating brand will enable you to deliver sustainable and long-term growth. The challenge is that there are still over 2,000 brewers in the UK, each one faced with the same dilemma: you need to stand out from the crowd.

Looking beyond the beginning of 2021, and seeking out potential market opportunities, the Nielsen/CGA ‘on premise’ insights into the Covid era in

the USA makes for some interesting reading – the USA beer sector often acts as a bellwether for us in the UK, except that they don’t have our beautiful caskconditioned beers or our wonderful English pubs. The word on the streets over there is that the shift is still very much towards the high-end. With less time spent in bars, drinkers are consuming less and paying more. There is also a preference for local to national by a factor of two to one. In terms of beer style preference, IPA still outperforms its nearest rival as the beer of choice (also by a factor of two to one).

There is as yet no real sign of Big Craft on the horizon from the big brewers, so we’ll hold back that a topic for another day…

Myles Pinfold is founder and strategic director of WPA Pinfold

For further information: wpa-drinks.co.uk

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NEWS Branding & Marketing

New division for The Cotton Textile Company Ltd

The Cotton Textile Company Ltd has spent the last few months looking at its resources and future business plans. Over the last 18 months Brexit and more recently Covid have taken a huge toll on its core clients, namely fashion, lifestyle and sporting brands and labels. This has meant that the company’s embroidery and print facilities have been operating at less than capacity.

Sam and Richard, the co-founders, are committed to ensuring the company’s growth by developing new opportunities for everyone involved and have taken the decision to create a new division.

The new division, called Branded Workwear, is being headed up by Pip, who has been in the garment decoration industry for many years. The brand will introduce a vast array of clothing produced by its partners United Brands of Scandinavia, offering probably the best quality range of workwear and plain label clothing available in the market.

Richard King, Sales Director of the group

says: “We have had this year to reflect on our business, evaluating our client base and their needs. So far, the Cotton Textile Company revolved around towels and socks, until this year, when the clothing sector of the business started to bring in more enquiries.

“We have had a huge range of clients requesting workwear and branded uniforms, and as the workwear business started taking off, we have decided that it’s time to create a division that focuses solely on that. The range of clothing we can now offer is superb and will appeal

to the marketing teams within many organisations, further cementing our position as the ‘go to’ partner to ‘bring your brand to life through textiles’.

“Launched on the 1st September, the whole TCTC team (some of whom are pictured above) is very excited about the future and has recently increased the team, with Lulu joining to drive the marketing and social media. So watch this space…” adds Richard.

For further information: www.thecottontextilecompany.co.uk

New look for Fallen Brewing as rebrand revealed Fallen Brewing, the innovative award-winning Scottish craft brewery, has announced an exciting new brand repositioning.

From larger can sizes to a refreshed design, the range will look and feel different but fans can still enjoy the same great tasting beers.

The new-look range offers a rainbow kaleidoscope of colour, making it easier to identify each variety. The repositioning was designed in collaboration with Union Creative. The redesign brings a completely fresh look and feel to Fallen’s great tasting beers, which include the aptly named Local Motive, Chew Chew, and muchloved Platform C.

Erik Porter, Managing

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Director of Union Creative says; “I’ve worked in the design industry for 25 years, and was involved in the original BrewDog branding at my previous agency. A few years ago, I set out as a freelance designer with an eye on the craft beer industry.”

Uniquely, the new labels feature pen and ink artwork designed by GP, artist, and close friend of the brewery owners, Zain Kapasi. The illustrations feature stylised trains and railway scenes, the signal box from the old Kippen Railway Station, and other iconic Scottish landmarks. Paul Fallen, Founder of Fallen Brewing comments; “Zain’s illustrations were exactly what the coloured designs needed. They add texture and interest to the cans and each drawing is unique.

We are delighted to have worked with Zain on the rebrand.”

The new designs will help with variety recognition and differentiation. Fallen says: “The monotone designs were great when we started and have served us well but we felt it was time for a change. The

new branding is fresh but familiar and should give us a better presence on the bar and in stores with instantly recognisable colours for each beer.”

Fallen continues, “We were one of the first craft breweries in Scotland to install a canning line back in 2016 and at the time the fledgling craft can market was dominated by 330ml cans.

“The indie market has shifted towards 440ml cans so we felt it was time to update the canning line. We are now able to fill both formats (330ml and 440ml) and will be launching the rebrand exclusively in 440ml cans.”

Fallen Brewing, whose range is vegan, sustainable, and environmentally robust, is one of Scotland’s leading craft breweries, is situated in the old Kippen Railway Station with views towards The Trossachs and The South West Highlands.

For further information: www.unioncreative.ltd

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NEWS Packaging & Labelling

Getting started with friendly labels and packaging printing - Sound advice from OPM Labels

Sustainability is becoming a hot topic in the labels and packaging sector industry, as environmental concerns are increasingly top of mind for consumers.

More beverage brands are moving toward sustainable packaging so that they can meet consumer demand, stay ahead of regulations and improve the environment, especially when it comes to single use packaging. If you have been considering a more environmentally responsible solution, there are some important things to consider before you get started:

Look at Your Budget: Eco-friendly label materials – like recyclable stocks and water-soluble inks – can sometimes cost more than traditional label materials.

Depending on the quantity of labels you want, alternative label materials can be more or the equivalent to the cost of regular materials.

Lead Times: Some materials are made “to order” or considered as special requirement so lead-times can be longer than traditional materials. Brand owners may need to factor this into their production / procurement forecasts.

Hopefully in the future as these materials become more mainstream globally lead times will reduce.

Product Compatibility: When bringing beverages to market it is key to ensure that all the elements of packaging are taken into consideration. The bottle or can and contents need to reflect the ethos of the brand, regards sustainability and recyclability, whilst being compatible and safe.

Many products can contain acidic properties, colouring and other additives that could compromise thinner materials or different plant-based constructions. Eco friendly packaging will also need to stand up to constant use and handling, harsh environmental conditions such as water, ice , freezing, UV and alcohol-based sanitisers. This may deteriorate the structure of the label by weakening the paper stock’s fibres and adhesive’s strength.

Different Paths to Sustainability: As a brewer you can manage your own route to sustainability through your beers ingredients and the materials you choose for your labels and packaging. It is also key to add clear instructions to the pack for the consumer on how to dispose or recycle the packaging after use.

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Choosing a printer who works lean with streamlined processes, offers green materials, energy and waste management certificates and works towards recycling programs can also be part of the consideration.

OPM is continually looking at ways to reduce the planetary impact of its materials, manufacturing processes and products, to help customers meet their sustainability targets.

OPM maximises focus on sustainability by working with suppliers who demonstrate “green” credentials; these suppliers source label materials from PEFC and FSCcertified forests, and have a commitment to recycling tricky waste such as silicone release liner trim.

OPM’s work with suppliers that provide materials that offer eco-friendly alternatives alongside their traditional core materials. Not only do the facestocks and films listed below have a number of different applications across several different sectors, they reduce waste and pollution by making better use of recycled or biodegradable materials. Material choice is also key to enabling the recyclability of a product at the end of its life.

Another avenue to consider is the reduction of materials – think thinner.

OPM offers facestocks and liners that are up to 50% thinner than comparable constructions. These materials are manufactured using less oil, water, and energy, resulting in a reduced carbon footprint compared to conventional label materials. The weight reduction also translates into lower transportation costs on the products retail journey.

When changing the thickness of material there may be an affect on packing / bottling lines and specifications so trialling a materials suitability will require working closely with the printer and their suppliers to achieve results that satisfy the whole supply chain.

Developments worth considering: Water Wash Off Solutions: A common challenge with labels in the recycling process of plastic containers is that the label material, adhesive and ink can contaminate the plastic flake. To overcome this challenge, we can offer a wash off label solution that enables full recyclability of any glass, PET bottle or thermoform by allowing labels to separate cleanly.

Mineral based materials for example, an eco-friendly label material that contains 80% marble mining waste, and up to 20% recycled polyethylene, largely derived from plastic bottles. This material will disintegrate on its own after 9-14 months’ exposure to sunlight; it can be burned for energy. There is no yellowing over time and the material is completely waterproof making it ideal for outdoor use. It is paper-like and matt in appearance and texture.

Fruit Pulp Papers make up a range facestocks produced from the waste materials sourced during beverage production, and has been created as an attempt to close the manufacturing loop – and thereby reduce overall waste. These materials have an attractive natural colour and texture and could be an ideal fit for organic wines or spirits companies seeking to boost their eco-friendly credentials.

Post-consumer recycled content materials (PCR) offered as an alternative material with facestock made from 100% post-consumer-waste paper. Aside from being a wholly recycled material, it also has a fantastic appearance and quality, and maintains its colour and strength even when wet.

Bio-based PE film offers a facestock made entirely from sugar cane ethanol cultivated in Brazil. Unlike the other materials mentioned above, this is a film that functions (and can be recycled) in a similar way to conventional polyethylene.

During the cultivation process, waste product generates the electricity that supplies the ethanol production process; excess electricity generated is returned to the Brazilian grid.

Bio-based PE film is available with a white or clear finish and has multiple applications, particularly within the Food & Beverage and Home & Personal Care sectors.

OPM Group has the Zero Labels 2 Landfill Certification and Zero foil 2 Landfill Certification. To find out more about OPM’s eco-friendly practices, and how your company could benefit from the kinds of materials listed above, get in touch today.

For further information: opmgroup.co.uk sales@opmgroup.co.uk

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NEWS Packaging & Labelling

Going the extra mile with premium beer packaging An enquiry from Clapton Craft has resulted in Saxon Packaging developing a new bottle gift box for the company.

Clapton Craft hails from London and Saxon’s relationship with them goes as far back as 2014. Since then, the packaging company has produced a variety of different beer packaging solutions to support Clapton Craft’s sales of local, UK and imported beers across a growing number of outlets.

In November 2019, Clapton Craft director Tom McKim sent through an enquiry for a 12x440ml can / 330ml bottle gift box that could be used to present his products in a more exciting and memorable way for his customers whilst keeping the contents inside secure.

Saxon’s Sales Director at Saxon Packaging, Mike Impson, along with his in-house design team, quickly got to work on bringing this design to life.

The various bright and bold colours employed on the packaging artwork are overlaid on a rich black canvas, which

help make the packaging stand out. To achieve the desired high-quality look and feel for the packaging design, the packs were printed using the 4-colour (CMYK) litho printing process and coated using a machine varnish.

The structural packaging design for the gift pack is based on a FEFCO 0471 style box and die-cut on an EB corrugated cardboard substrate, using a BOBST Vision Cut machine. EB fluting is a very popular choice with the brewing industry due to its ability to withstand the rigors of varying conditions of transit ideal for getting beers delivered safely from the warehouse to the customer!

In line with the growing trend of eCommerce and direct-to-consumer sales in the brewing industry, Clapton Craft has recognised the importance of having its products available to purchase via its website and with the use of Saxon’s latest packaging solutions are able to ensure the products arrive both safely and looking good!

“It was a pleasure working with Mike and the team on this as always and the print

and cut quality of the finished box is outstanding”, says Tom McKim of Clapton Craft. “We specifically wanted a packaging solution that didn’t require tape or glue and the front ‘lid’ design that the team came up with works perfectly and really adds to the unboxing experience. We look forward to working with the Saxon team on our next project!”

For further information: www.saxonpackaging.co.uk

Budvar cuts plastic with innovative six-can TopClip

Budweiser Budvar UK is trialling Smurfit Kappa's TopClip, a newly-designed cardboard beer can packaging solution, as the Czech beer brand works to reduce plastic waste.

The branded packaging, holding six 330ml cans of Budweiser Budvar Original Czech Lager, is made from sustainably sourced paper, it is 100% recyclable, and will eliminate an estimated metric tonne of single-use plastic waste in its first year of use, the

equivalent of a quarter of a million plastic bags.

It reflects the distinctive new Budweiser Budvar design seen on bottles and cans.

Along with the classic red logo, and historic roundel for the town of České Budějovice where all Budweiser Budvar is brewed, the design offers ‘Greetings From The Republic of Beer’, supporting the brand’s new marketing position.

The patented TopClip has been developed by paper-based packaging specialist Smurfit Kappa to meet Budweiser Budvar’s need to supply beer in a secure package that also meets consumers’ increasing expectations of high environmental standards.

Simon George, managing director of Budweiser Budvar UK, said: “As a brewery owned by a nation, not a corporation, we have a particular responsibility to take a lead on packaging waste issues. The challenge has always been to offer our premium beer in packaging that holds it safely and securely, and sends the right message about the brand, as well as

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meeting our environmental obligations.

“We’re delighted to be working with the specialists at Smurfit Kappa, as well as Waitrose as our retail partner, to trial this new solution and play our part in the reduction of plastic waste in the supply chain.

“The initial results, in terms of both the robustness of the TopClip and the response from consumers, are very promising. We’ll be assessing the trial carefully before offering the new packaging to other retail customers.”

Matthew Watts, general manager of Smurfit Kappa – Litho, said: “We are delighted to have had the opportunity and support from the team at Budweiser Budvar UK in getting our better planet packaging innovation TopClip onto the shelves of Waitrose. It’s our mission to help brands create attractive stand out on-shelf packaging that supports the world in helping reduce packaging waste.”

For further information: www.smurfitkappa.com/uk

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NEWS Hygiene & Resources

Hygiene firm celebrates triple ISO certification Warrington-based Christeyns Food Hygiene, manufacturer of professional hygiene products, has gained three internationally recognised ISO standards from leading certification company SGS.

Christeyns Food Hygiene, part of the Christeyns UK group, last month attained ISO9001, ISO14001 and ISO45001, confirming the business has excellent management systems and procedures in place. The three certifications cover quality, environmental aspects and occupational health and safety and demonstrate the company’s focus on delivering uncompromised standards.

Mike Taylor, Senior Chemist and Regulatory Affairs Manager at CFH, said he is really proud of the work and dedication from staff to make this possible. “Having these standards gives reassurance to our customers and shows that we are not resting on our laurels but keeping abreast of the latest trends and practices. The systems also provide us with data and information that allows us to further improve the management of our growing business.”

With the current pandemic situation, it is even more important that both customers and staff can be certain that the right procedures are in place to keep the workplace safe and maintain production flow.

The site at Warrington produces over 20 million litres of hygiene products per year and employs over 70 staff. Earlier in the summer the firm became the first company to be awarded the BSI kitemark for hand sanitiser, which set a new standard in hand hygiene.

Christeyns Food Hygiene has gained a reputation for innovative, quality products over the past 30 years and is well known for its specialist hygiene

range that caters for the food and beverage industries.

Pictured above: ISO certificate with L to R: Leigh Boakes – Regulatory Affairs Chemist; Mike Taylor – Senior Chemist and Regulatory Affairs Manager; Sarah Hobbs – Health, Safety and Environmental Advisor

For further information: www.christeynsfoodhygiene.co.uk

SafetyCulture’s acquisition of EdApp fast tracked to respond to increased demand for training The leading platform for workplace safety and quality, SafetyCulture, has acquired EdApp, the awardwinning mobile training solution.

EdApp currently delivers approximately 50,000 lessons per day across over 90 countries.

The acquisition will enable millions of workers across diverse industries to access world-class micro-learning resources, free of charge.

2020 has seen a major push to retrain and re-skill the global workforce in the face of new government guidelines and pandemic disruption. The ability for teams to adapt to new ways of working has become critical to business survival worldwide.

With the backing of SafetyCulture, EdApp will now offer a free version of its training platform globally to businesses of all sizes.

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EdApp is a mobile learning solution which sees micro lessons downloaded straight to users’ smartphones. Learners acquire knowledge in targeted bursts when it suits them best and can learn at their own pace. Courses that employ micro eLearning typically see completion rates rise from as low as 15% to around 90% and beyond.

SafetyCulture’s existing 26,000 customers were offered access to EdApp earlier this year as the two companies closely collaborated to find ways to support businesses through the Covid-19 crisis. The initial partnership saw businesses across sectors creating hundreds of courses and completing thousands of lessons.

SafetyCulture CEO, Luke Anear, believes training integration is the natural next step for the company, “We’re experiencing the biggest workplace shake-up since economies were rebuilt

after World War II. This is not survival of the fittest, this is survival of those that can adapt. The pandemic has made it clear there’s a huge appetite for training as companies look to get safely back to business. EdApp will strengthen our ability to support businesses to do their best work.”

This is SafetyCulture’s first acquisition and follows a series of investments it made into EdApp over the last two years, most recently a AU$1 million convertible note investment in early 2020.

EdApp and iAuditor are available on iOS and Android and companies can get started on both platforms for free.

EdApp is available in 12 languages and iAuditor is available in 14 languages.

For further information: www.edapp.com

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Let the green beers flow

by Fred Hartshorn, Country Manager, UK, Invinity Energy Systems

BrewDog made a big splash this summer when it announced its intention to become carbon negative by planting 1,500 acres of native woodlands, the “BrewDog Forest”.

It’s a bold and admirable plan, but there are simpler, more costeffective and more direct methods of reducing your climate impact.

The cost of solar power has plummeted by 82% over the last ten years, to become a “no-brainer” for any manufacturing business to save money and showcase its green credentials.

Solar panels help by generating cheap power during the day and reducing the amount of energy a brewery imports from the grid.

However, this is the UK after all, and you can’t always rely on sunshine! This is where energy storage comes in.

Working on sunshine

Energy storage allows you to charge your battery at times when you are producing an abundance of cheap energy i.e. during the middle of the day and then discharge it later at the end of the day when the peak electricity costs kick in on your tariff.

Having solar and energy storage together means breweries maximise the amount of solar power they use, especially during peak times when it’s most expensive to buy from the grid. This also means that you can directly and effectively reduce your carbon emissions at source, rather than offsetting them “after the fact” through carbon capture methods such as planting forests.

By its very nature, the operation of a brewery is extremely well suited to benefit from clean energy solutions like this. Energy usage in breweries varies depending on size, location, and product, but brewing, fermenting, filtering and packaging beer are all very energy intensive processes.

On average, it takes 15-20 kWh of electrical power to brew one barrel of beer at a typical price of around 14p/kWh. For smaller breweries, this electricity cost will be even greater as they can’t gain access to the cheaper tariffs available to the larger players. These prices are also set to rise in the years to come according to UK government data.

UK wholesale electricity price fluctuations over a typical day. Source: UK Day Ahead Auction Prices, Nord Pool

Solar Powered Brewing

We modelled the impact of installing solar panels with one of Invinity’s vanadium flow batteries at a mid-sized UK brewery (producing 150,000-200,000 barrels a year) and the impact is dramatic. You can see the daily operation of the system in the graphic below.

Daily operation of a PV + flow battery system at a brewery

Installing 700kWp of solar panels coupled with a flow battery system could lead to a 50% reduction in a brewery’s energy bill annually and reduce its carbon footprint by up to half, offering a ROI of 2.1.

A brewery with bills of around £140,000 per year would save as much as £2.8 million over the 20 year lifetime of the project assuming energy costs rise in line with inflation (CPI, 2%) year-onyear.

Vanadium flow batteries are well-suited to the brewing sector as, unlike the dominant technology, lithium-ion, they don’t degrade, so don’t need to be replaced often, even when used heavily. They are also non-flammable and can store and discharge energy for longer, to flatten the peaks in demand over the course of the day.

Green recovery

UK electricity prices, 15 year forecast. Source: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)

Brewing is a 24/7 operation and energy is demanded around the clock. As a result, breweries are more exposed than many other industries to peak power prices (which typically occur between 57pm, when national power demand is at its highest).

Pre-Covid-19, profound changes were already under way in the industry to shift towards a more sustainable model. However, despite widespread adoption of renewable energy by brewers, the integration of energy storage to maximise those assets, is relatively low.

Now is the time for that to change, as major breweries look to build back better and ‘invest to save’, so that when the pandemic ends, the drinks can flow.

For further information: www.invinity.com

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THE VIEW THROUGH MY GLASS BOTTOM

Time forever blowing bubbles Julian Grocock

Has the physical impact of lockdown infected the functionality of my brain? I'm struggling to concentrate and focus, be perceptive and incisive, and consequently turn a fragmented jigsaw of words into a complete picture of joined-up and coherent sentences.

Tasked with this latest article, all I could come up with at first was a word game: start with BUBBLE, change one (or the double) letter, and see where it takes you. Thus I got BUBBLE – BABBLE – BAFFLE – WAFFLE...

And doesn’t that paint a reasonably accurate image of the weird time we’re living through? ~ Time…the keyword that renders this writing assignment so challenging.

Events and developments, at regional, national and international levels, are fluid and subject to sudden changes of direction, so anything I put down on paper now will probably be out-of-date by the time you read it. As I write it’s the end of September, the ‘Rule of Six’ (under differing home country interpretations) has been in place for nearly three weeks, and new localised regulations have come into legislative force.

But most significant for readers of this magazine is the resurrection of stringent restrictions on the pub trade. I’m bewildered by a curfew that obliges my village local to call last orders at 9.30pm and get all its regulars off the premises by 10. It’s a revival of the false accusation that, as the clock ticks on, the entire on trade becomes a hotbed of worsening behaviour and social irresponsibility. ~ And is this really the time – in the midst of economic chaos and commercial uncertainty – to announce a radical overhaul of the smaller breweries’ duty relief scheme (SBR)?

(I know I'm seriously out of the lobbying loop these days, but I have just re-read the six beer reports I

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wrote while masquerading as SIBA’s chief executive, to digest the many significant references to what we then mostly called ‘Progressive Beer Duty’.)

The need for review and possible consequent revision is not an issue.

Since its introduction in 2002, SBR’s basic format has combined with various subsequent market and taxation factors to unbalance the level playing field it was supposed to create. However, it is vital to remember the immensely positive effect it has had on the British industry. Each of those reports was based on an annual members’ survey, and in 2014 I noted that 63% of respondents were businesses founded after 2002 – almost certainly as a consequence of SBR. The core proposal is to reduce the qualifying annual production cap, for the full 50% duty discount, from 5,000hl to 2,100hl. Beer writer Martyn Cornell has pointed out that 85% of brewers – ‘the vast majority’ – are outside these production parameters, so would not be adversely affected. But he then goes on to claim that maybe no more than 100 would lose some relief – which my arithmetic says is a lot less than the other 15% of 2,400 registered UK breweries. But tell us, Martyn, how many would be too many? ~ Whilst accepting that positive reform is required to soften the rapid ‘cliff edge’ drop in relief above 5,000hl, SIBA continues to adhere to the fundamental principle that the 50% cut up to that level must be maintained, so no brewer loses entitlement to relief currently received.

That is a time-honoured standpoint I

wholeheartedly endorse, but allow me to add to the debate with a quote from the 2010 report:

“Support for the existence of PBD… [SBR] …does not preclude proposals that it should be reviewed and possibly amended. European law would allow the threshold for qualification to be extended to 200,000hl, which would provide some benefit to every SIBA full brewing member. But perhaps a more persuasive counter to its critics would be for it to be restructured along ‘tax threshold’ lines, so that brewers of all sizes could receive relief for lower bands of production, reducing in stages with full duty payable from a fixed level onwards.

This would still provide the greatest proportional savings for smaller brewers with all or most of their production qualifying for the top rate of relief, but at the same time it would neutralise the arguments of those who claim they suffer most by being just above qualification and consequently receiving nothing.

Furthermore, thresholds at any level that entail the disappearance of some or all of the benefit below them are a serious disincentive for growth, and this model would prevent that.”

Time marches on…but, a full decade later, does this still make sense?

Julian Grocock

Julian Grocock is a former pub landlord, managing director of Tynemill/Castle Rock, and chief executive of SIBA. Extensive experience in beer and pub politics, brewery and pubco operations, and on the front line in the pub trade...‘from cellar to ceiling’.

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