Brewing & Beverage Industries Business - Summer 2022 - Issue 24

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ISSN 2398-2489

Summer 2022 Issue 24 June • July • August The Products & Services Magazine for the UK’s Drinks Production Industry

PREVIEW SHOWCASE

Containers In this issue

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

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WELCOME TO

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.

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 manufacturers, not receiving a regular copy, then please contact us today.

The Products & Services Magazine for the UK Drinks Production Industry

ALWAYS IN PRINT & ONLINE - Now into our 6th year!

WHO WE ARE Magazine Editor

Chris Freer Digital Editor

Simon Butler

For editorial or advertising enquiries, call the Editor on 0115 8 549 349 or e-mail:

chris@brewingbusiness.co.uk

WHO WRITES FOR US RUTH EVANS MBE

Ruth is CEO of BFBi, whose membership represents the supply chain for the brewing and beverage industries.

JULIAN GROCOCK

Julian Grocock is a former chief executive of SIBA with extensive experience in beer, brewery and pub politics.

ALAN POWELL

Alan Powell is a specialist excise duties consultant, who heads up the British Distillers Alliance.

ADRIAN TIERNEY-JONES

‘Beer Writer of the Year 2017’, Adrian Tierney-Jones is a leading UK beer journalist and international brewing judge.

STEPHEN BEAUMONT

Award-winning North American-based beer and travel writer with an insight into trends ‘across the pond’.

Cover illustration - SSV brewhouse installed at Bundobust, taken by Mark Newton Photography.

ISSN 2398-2489

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

Members of

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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 2022

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Word from the BFBi

Ruth Evans MBE

Be a better buyer

Photo by Gerardo Jaconelli

This article is going to be unashamedly commercial. With the increase in energy prices, raw material costs, supply chain limits, I would like every company buyer to “be a better buyer”.

Think about the result of your actions on your supplier – that increase in payment terms; that request for further discounts when your supplier has had a multiple increase in costs.

To bang the usual drum – let us work together to address the significant energy, shipping and material challenges.

If every part of the supply chain looks to be a better buyer the chain will withstand the extreme stresses being put upon it at this time.

At some point, the consumer has to pay an acknowledgement of the challenges.

Consider when purchasing materials, services, what extra costs may be involved. Be open to discussion on how you, as the customer can support your supplier and – as the supplier, be

transparent and honest in the issues you are encountering.

Let us all work together to address the challenges we are currently facing.

Never has our Association motto “stronger together” meant so much

Ruth Evans MBE, BFBi C.E.O.

BFBi annual Trade Directory 2021/2 issue out now!

The most authoritative directory of the UK food & drinks market available

The directory is free-of-charge to all drinks manufacturers and BFBi members

For details of how to obtain a copy, please contact

admin@bfbi.org.uk

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-of-sale 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

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Called To The Bar Adrian Tierney-Jones

Are taprooms - and mild - the way to go?

I’m not very good at forecasting. Many years ago when I wrote about music, I recommended three bands to look out for in City Limits, a London magazine I contributed to. My wife, who I didn’t know then worked for the magazine and, having read my predictions, went off and bought a single from one of the bands. To this day she recalls her disappointment. I’m not surprised as none of those I had tipped for the top really made it.

I tell this tale because in the last couple of months I have had several discussions with various people in the industry regarding the future of British brewing and pubs. These have been casual, the sort of thing you discuss in the pub or in one case standing around waiting to start judging at a beer competition. The general mood seems to be pessimistic but prepared, especially with the rising cost of raw materials, energy, fuel and packaging (oh and I nearly forgot the bountiful benefits of Brexit…), all of which will be passed onto the consumer in the shape of increased beer prices. If people decide to cut back on drinking beer or buy cheaper beer from the supermarkets, then this will affect pubs and breweries, the latter especially as there are up to 2,000 of them trying to sell their beers up and down the country. I can already think of a couple of closures.

For instance as my new book, United Kingdom of Beer, was going to press in late February I read on Twitter that Cheshire Brewhouse seemed to have closed. Even before it was confirmed I made last minute replacements for the two of the brewery’s excellent beers that were included in the book. Then after United Kingdom of Beer was published in March, I read in April (once again on Twitter) that Fallen Brewery had closed.

That is a couple of beers in the book that you won’t be able to try and to be honest I don’t know if that will be the last (just before the magazine went to press news came of Kelham Island also closing). On the other hand, in the 25 years I have been writing about beer, breweries have come and gone, so why am I surprised — I think of Bridgwater Brewing Company, Butterknowle, Cain’s and more recently Wood’s and Cotleigh, who all bit the dust.

Moving on, this is where I stick my predictive neck out for the metaphorical axe of Jack Ketch and write that whatever the ebb and flow of brewery lives, one thing I am quite certain about

is that we have seen the end of the global corporations buying up well-established craft breweries for vast sums. London Fields was closed by its owners Carlsberg-Marston in December 2021, put up for sale and might or might not open under a new owner in the future. Meanwhile Fourpure and Magic Rock, both of them owned by Australian food and drinks behemoth Lion, are also on the market, even though their beers are common occupants on the shelves of the supermarkets (usually accompanied by buy four and pay for three deals). Call me cynical but it doesn’t seem like the global breweries entries into the ‘craft’ world has paid off, though Camden and Beavertown tell a different story.

Then there are the supermarkets, which whether you like them or not, offer beers to cash-strapped consumers at an affordable price (you could say the same thing about Wetherspoon’s, despite its owner’s peculiar political views).

Supermarkets might not appeal to those people who have well-paid jobs and can afford to stock up at their local bottle shop and brewery, but they remain a vital conduit for other beer-lovers and breweries. However, I would add a caveat — having recently done a not very scientific survey of what is available, it does seem that BrewDog has the lion’s share of shelf space. To paraphrase Mr White about SPECTRE to James Bond, they are everywhere.

Whatever I think of the recent revelation of alleged misbehaviour at the top levels of the company, there are obviously still people who buy their beer. I don’t buy their beers, but there is an irony in their products hogging shelf after shelf when their original ethos was to strike a blow for choice and originality. When I look at four shelves of BrewDog beers in Sainsbury’s I am reminded of the Bruce Springsteen song, Fifty-seven channels and nothin' on.

Amid this low level sense of doom and gloom, one of the more hopeful areas of

the beer business is the growth and sustainability of taprooms that anchor themselves in the local community. My Exeter local is one such place, which has a small brewery producing juicy, hazy pales as well as the odd Dubbel or Saison. It also sells beers from brewing superstars such as Thornbridge, Utopian and DEYA, has its own pizza van and organises events such as home-brew competitions. Other taprooms I have recently visited include Orbit, BrewYork and Lost and Grounded and also seem to place themselves at the heart of their community.

There is one other prediction that many in the rarefied world of Beer Twitter seem to be making with growing confidence: the resurgence of traditional beer styles. I am talking about Bitter and — more surprisingly — Mild. Given that Elusive, Left-Handed Giant and Boxcar have all made a Mild (and let us not forget diehards such as Batham’s and Holt’s), perhaps there is something in the online hype, but before we all get too excited, in the midst of researching this column I found a story on the BBC website about the resurgence of Mild: from 2012.

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, Pellicle, Good Beer Hunting, Daily Star and Beer Magazine 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), The Seven Moods of Craft Beer and his latest, United Kingdom of Beer. He is also 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 for several other competitions.

Beer Writer Of The Year 2017 • Best Beer Writer, National Media 2019

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Letter From North America Stephen Beaumont

When Did the Leaders Become Followers?

Back in the early days of what we still then called ‘microbrewing,’ I was told an interesting story by one of east coast Canada’s pioneering brewery owners, the Granite Brewery’s Kevin Keefe. It was a tale of not just brand, but also style loyalty.

On one particular night, he explained, there was a major live music show in town, which had drawn away almost all of his brewpub’s regular clientele, save for one fellow sat despondently at the bar. When Keefe asked this gent why he wasn’t at the concert with the others, the fellow responded with first a curse, then an explanation.

“It’s all your fault,” he complained to Keefe, “It’s this beer of yours, I can’t drink anything else now.”

Said beer was an English style best bitter, not yet cask-conditioned – the hand pulls would arrive later – but still virtually unknown across the Atlantic provinces in the mid- to late 1980s.

When he added a brewery to his and his brother Wilfred’s bar in 1985, Keefe had expected resistance from the locals, which certainly came, but was quickly followed by first acceptance and then loyalty.

So strong was the eventual devotion to his Best Bitter, Peculiar, and Irish Stout, in fact, that while Kevin Keefe has since retired from both bar and brewery ownership, his other brother Ron’s Granite Brewery in Toronto, opened in the early 1990s, still stands as one the city’s longest surviving breweries. So venerable is the Toronto Granite, in fact, that Ron’s daughter and son now effectively run the place, the former having become one of the city’s pre-eminent brewers.

The point of this story of striving and success is to remind you, dear reader, of a time when craft breweries were industry leaders, turning out beers that broke moulds, turned heads, and changed attitudes.

Looking around today, it’s sometimes hard to imagine that time.

Increasingly, it seems to me that the craft beer leaders have become, to a degree, at least, the Big Beer followers. If I go back in my memory

twenty or thirty years, even a decade or so, I can recall any number of leading innovations, whether local to specific regions, as with Kevin Keefe’s story above, or more general, as with Russian River’s Vinnie Cilurzo’s creation of the first double IPA or the lost-to-the-annals-of-time first brewer to flavour porter or stout with coffee.

Nowadays, new releases aren’t so much innovative or unique creations as they are duplications of works already done, such as the slew of hard seltzers that so many North American craft breweries are still releasing, even long after the seltzer boom has gone bust, or at least flattened, and the steady march towards mediocrity that is the socalled ‘Mexican lager,’ a beer style so vague that brewers can’t even seem to agree as to whether it’s an ersatz Vienna lager in the style of Dos Equis or a pallid adjunct lager à la Corona.

Even the trends that come from within craft brewing proper have a strong aura of follow-the-leader surrounding them, as seen in the endless – and I do mean endless! – stream of hazy pale ales and IPAs that have flooded the market over the past few years, despite the fact that few brewers seem to genuinely take pride in creating them. Or the similarly lengthy parade of kettle sours marketed under various names, the differences between which, like seltzers, appear to reside simply in the choice of flavouring ingredients.

None of the above, not seltzer nor hazy IPA nor mainstream-ish lager, is likely to draw customers like the Granite’s concert-shunning loyalist, who will actually inconvenience themselves rather than accept a steep drop in the flavour of their beer. Far better positioned for such a result is a return to leadership.

While it could be argued that leading

BEST BEER & TRAVEL WRITER 2017

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in the beer industry was a lot easier before seemingly everything new had been done before, my counter would be that leadership need not necessarily involve the curious and unusual. I can think of breweries that lead by constantly improving their beer style of choice, regardless of what said style might be, and others that prove their leadership by taking something already done and tweaking it so that it’s that much better.

(And if you think that leadership means throwing some oddball ingredient into the kettle for the first time, well, I’m sorry, but I cannot help you!)

Whether through originality or creativity or perfectionism, or some combination of the three, the craft beer market was built by people unafraid to take chances by trying something new, or doggedly pursuing a goal until they regularly exceed expectations.

Chances are that the way it will continue to expand will be thanks to a new generation doing more of the same.

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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PREVIEW

Being staged at Manchester Central from 7th - 8th June 2022, BevExpo is back after a three-year absence. Over the following pages we give exhibitors an opportunity to let brewers, distillers and other beverage manufacturers know a little of what they can expect to see at the show.

Core exhibiting the CODI at BevExpo

Gold Sponsors for BevExpo 2022, Core Equipment is joining fellow exhibitors at Manchester Central for the biggest networking opportunity for those within the beverage chain.

Leading distributors for various processing and packaging equipment needs, including counter-pressure canning lines, bottling line, labelling, kegging machines, tunnel pasteurisers, tanks and much more, Core Equipment provides beverage producers with the latest innovation to support business development and growth.

All of the equipment supplied by Core is manufactured by industry-leading companies and has been quality assessed by Core.

STAND 16 Gold Sponsor

The Core Equipment representatives will be on-hand across the two-day event, to answer any questions and queries relating to process and packaging equipment.

At every stage of the order process, Core’s experienced team are on-hand to support and help whilst the Core service team work closely with customers during installation and on an ongoing basis.

Marketing Manager, Beth Kelsey of Core Equipment, explained: “We are delighted to be one of this year’s Gold Sponsors for BevExpo! Despite the difficulties inflicted by Covid, it seemed to be no match against the incredible resilience of producers within the beverage industry. As we return to “normality” nothing

surpasses the fantastic interactions you get from face-to-face conversations, and we look forward welcoming attendees onto our stand (16).”

For further information: Tel: 01327 342589 www.core-equip.com

New container rental model gives brewers more flexibility

Close Brothers Brewery Rentals is offering a new short-term container rental model allowing brewers to only pay for containers when they are in use.

EKegPlus customers can control the length of their rental cycles, with prices as low as 99 pence for the first 30 days.

Driven by technology, the hire cycle works in four simple steps: 1. GET containers you need – brewers can collect them from a local depot or arrange for a stockpile to be kept on site 2. FILL AND SCAN containers to start the hire cycle 3. DELIVER the product direct to a venue or to an approved wholesaler 4. COLLECT AND RESCAN the

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empty containers – brewers can reduce charges by collecting themselves or wait for EkegPlus to collect, automatically ending the hire cycle

EkegPlus customers can access a container pool of over 400,000 ekegs and ecasks and have the freedom to adjust the size of their rental fleet as often as needed. With RFID technology providing access to data about live daily hire changes, cost-toserve and logistics, the solution aims to make container rental easier, more cost effective and more transparent.

Close Brothers Brewery Rentals also offers a range of solutions for breweries and distilleries, including cask and keg rentals and equipment finance options. With knowledge of

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the sector, they can help you fund specialist equipment used for drinks production. Equipment finance gives brewers access to the assets they need upfront while spreading the cost over time, whether through hire purchase, leasing or other options.

Each solution is tailored to meet individual business requirements and a wide range of assets can be financed, from cask washers to the total installation of a new brewery.

Find the Close Brothers Brewery Rentals and eKegPlus team on stand 13 at BevExpo

For further information: www.closebreweryrentals.co.uk enquiries@closebreweryrentals.co.uk

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PREVIEW

Full turnkey offering from grain to glass at SSV Limited

Stainless Steel Vessels Limited (SSV) designs and supplies brewhouses, process vessels and pipework to the beverage industry.

Since launching the Brew-bloc in 2018 the company has racked up an impressive 50 installations and in 2020 built the largest pressure-rated stainless steel fermentation vessels in Europe on-site in Wales. The project consisted of delivering 8 x 8000HL fermentation and conditioning vessels.

In January 2020 SSV Limited acquired TEP Machinery Movement Limited. This strategic acquisition further strengthened the ability to service the industry with a dedicated installation and specialist lifting team along with a comprehensive fleet of

Winning hops!

Do you want a chance to sample the latest, and very greatest, innovations in hop development?

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This year at BevExpo we will be giving you access to winning hops from the latest Charles Faram International Hop Awards. There will be both commercial and new development hops available from around the world.

The Charles Faram International Hop Awards are an annual competition to discover the very best hop variety samples from our Charles Faram Hop Development Programme and celebrate all those involved. From scientists and growers, through to the brewers who are using the hops to create exciting new flavour combinations.

For further information: www.charlesfaram.co.uk sales@charlesfaram.co.uk

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heavy lifting and transportation equipment.

SSV Limited has a full turnkey offering from grain to glass ensuring that its customers' whole plant and wider services are designed to run efficiently, and effectively and offer the flexibility to expand production as their business requires it.

SSV also offers a wide range of products including pumps, valves and fittings, providing unrivaled value and customer service to meet the needs of all drinks related businesses. The company is uniquely positioned to be able to provide equipment from 10HL all the way up to 30,000HL to all sectors

of the market from brewing, pharmaceutical, dairy and distilling.

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

Tubing Food at BevExpo

Tubing Food is a global supplier of beverage dispensing equipment. We design and manufacture beer towers, remote control systems, hoses and beer python among others.

Our aim is that you can dispense your beverage, from keg to glass, always preserving its excellent quality.

We are specialised in designing and manufacturing bespoke beer fonts to help brands to stand out in every outlet.

We also produce the taps you need to dispense your beverage. Our Sia tap has everything you can imagine to pour the best pints: creamer, cream point, flow control and quick connection.

Remote control systems have been a revolution for the sector last years.

Keg Control and Autotank are an excellent tool to monitor the status of

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beer kegs and tanks, to know the consumption of beer in real time and help you planning your logistics.

Big data at your service to reduce costs and optimise kegs and tanks.

We have more than 25 years of experience producing hoses and beer python adapting every tube to what our clients need. Our mini looms are an excellent option to keep the beer cold until the same glass.

Our dispensing equipment is not only for beer, we have a huge experience in other dispensing sectors like sodas, nitro coffee and champagne, among others. We have solutions for any beverage or liquid that could be dispensed.

Solving the needs of our clients in the best way possible is our reason to be; that is why we are totally focused on giving and excellent service and offering products of the best quality always.

For further information: tubingfood.es

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PREVIEW

Labels with sustainability to the forefront

Mercian Labels is one of the oldest and most innovative selfadhesive label manufacturers in the UK. Established in 1969, it operates from a state-of-the-art factory in Burntwood, Staffordshire and employs 65 people.

As a World Class manufacturer of Labels, and one that takes Sustainability and its Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) very seriously,

we strive to offer our customers something new and innovative, something that allows them to contribute to a circular economy, making a real difference to the future of our planet, without needing to compromise on the customer experience they have and the quality of the products they receive.

The last 2 years has seen Mercian Labels take huge strides along its sustainability journey. From creating our very own Community Woodland and being accredited to ISO14001:2015 standard, to introducing brand new sustainable materials and a fully ‘closed loop label recycling service’ to all our Customers.

Mercian Labels was also the first label manufacturer to introduce a sustainable Wood Film™ to the Food and Beverage market.

Enterprise Tondelli

Stand 8 is the place to find Enterprise Tondelli at this year’s long-awaited BevExpo in Manchester.

Enterprise Tondelli will be showcasing some of its recent projects with particular attention to product stabilisation and also saving labour and reducing costs.

These include energy saving and compact tunnel pasteurisers, rotary counter pressure can fillers from 1,500 cans per hour to 80,000 cans per hour. A new project for widget can filling with flow meters for super low d.o./tipo and accuracy at 6,000 cph. Plus compact end-of-line automatic

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Wood Film™ has

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secondary packaging options so you can spend more time doing interesting tasks rather than packing your product! Also the latest range of empty can and bottle depalletisers in stainless steel and designed around your space.

We hope to see you there, please feel free to email us for an appointment or just drop in and we will be happy to discuss your bottling, canning and packing ideas over a cup of coffee.. stand 8 – come and see what’s new.

For further information: Tel: 01525 718288 www.enterprisetondelli.co.uk

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been developed in conjunction with the large papermills of Scandinavia...

Wood chips are ground into a pulp as part of the paper-making process and the extracted oils are converted into a chemical structure which forms the basis of a white and clear Polyolefin Wood Film self-adhesive material.

The label material performs the same as a standard PP self-adhesive material and is durable, resistant to bottle and can bloom and can be supplied in clear or white based face material. Wood Film can be printed like any other PP substrate with digital, flexo, screen or foil and is suitable for machine application.

Mercian Wood Film™ material has the benefit of being ISCC certified (International Sustainable Carbon Certification) making it a sustainable safe solution for global consumer demands

So, if you’re looking for something new and innovative or simply want to do YOUR bit when it comes to the planet – come and have a chat with us on stand 7!

For further information: www.mercianlabels.com sales@mercianlabels.com

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PREVIEW

Pump clips, handpulls, tap handles and branded POS from Willis Publicity

Willis Publicity is delighted to showcase the all-new Abbot Ale pump clip and handpull at BevExpo. With competition for handpull space increasing on bars it was important for Greene King to bring its product to a contemporary audience, whilst respecting the heritage of the brand.

Working closely with its appointed agency Ziggurat, Willis utilised the skills of our design and production team to ensure we delivered a product with standout giving Abbot Ale a fresh

Manufactured from premium metal, both the pump and handpull have been engineered for easy installation for outlets and on bar permanency for the brand.

To see our latest range of pump clips, handpulls, tap handles and branded POS please come and visit us at on Stand 44 at BevExpo.

For further information: Tel: 01582 764040 www.willispublicity.co.uk

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This year Fabdec is excited to launch the new brand BRITANX, providing high quality British manufactured vessels dedicated to the food, beverage and processing sectors. With over 60 years’ experience, all manufacturing is from our state-of-the-art 65,000sq ft facility based in Shropshire.

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ALSO AT BEVEXPO

Abbeychart Stand 34

Brewing Engineers Association Stand 35 Classic Dispense Silver Sponsor Stand 19 Crowcon Silver Sponsor Stands 10-11

We specialise in the design and manufacture of bespoke solutions but also offer a comprehensive standard vessel range including fermenters, conditioning and DPVs. We also offer various designs of vessels such as CLTs, HLTs, mash tuns, copper/kettles, racking tanks, under/hop backs and mixing vessels.

Fabdec continues to lead the way and fly the flag for UK manufacturing. To achieve this goal we continue to invest in our resources, staff and of course

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and modern feel.

Britanx from Fabdec showcasing at BevExpo

One other essential ingredient to any processing facility is a plate cooler. These can cool high volumes of product quickly and can be highly efficient, both environmentally and economically. Our models are all stainless steel with a herringbone profile to roll the flow of product and water, suitable for CIP cleaning.

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Dürr Technik Stand 33 drinktec Stand 31

DFX technology Stand 32 machinery. Our state-of-the-art machinery and a well trained, skilled workforce ensure every Fabdec product is a sound investment.

We look forward to seeing you on our BevExpo stand 22/23 and showcase our offering.

For further information: sales@britanx.com

Eclipse Labels Stand 12

Fluid Connections Stands 38-39 Foss Stand 58

Holchem/Kersia Gold Sponsor Stand 61

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PREVIEW

Complete packaging line solutions for bottling, canning and kegging

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FRAMAX will be exhibiting for the first time at this year’s BevExpo event in Manchester!

Framax specialises in the supply of machinery and complete “Turn Key” production lines for the bottling and packaging industry.

Our main objective is to provide a custom-made solution, specifically designed to protect and guarantee the quality of the finished product with the use of the highest and most up-to date technology.

Framax can design, supply and install filling lines and packaging solutions to suit a wide range of products into traditional or modern packaging, such as bottles made of Pet, Pen, Glass, HDPE, cans, bag-in box-etc.

The key to our success is the “know how” gained in over 40 years of experience in this industry and the ability to supply equipment

performance, competitive pricing and efficiency of after-sales service and support.

We are looking forward to welcoming you to visit our stand and talk to us about your requirements from single or small footprint canning like our

Prime malts by French & Jupps

French & Jupps is delighted to be exhibiting at this year’s BevExpo where we will be showcasing a prime selection of our speciality malts over on Stand 59.

At our stand we invite you to taste and explore our variety of top-quality crystal and patent malts made using our locally sourced barley, which provides a rich base of flavours, body and colour to an array of award winning, classical and contemporary beers.

As a family-run business since 1689 we make every effort to support our community, sourcing our barley from local farms, championing homegrown agriculture whilst reducing our carbon footprint. We believe that it from our core values of quality, community and sustainability that we have grown our

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Canblock 6/6/1-LE to complete bespoke high-speed lines.

For further information: www.framax.com info@framax.co.uk

ALSO AT BEVEXPO

Intellicup Stand 41

Kegstar Gold Sponsor Stand 15 Microcan Gold Sponsor Stand 64

Optimum Flooring Services Stand 25 truly global reach.

If you're looking to create your next product using the finest quality malts, or curious to learn more about what we do.

Join us at Stand 59 in the exhibition hall to explore our range, which we have proudly been supplying to the food and beverage industry for over 300 years.

For further information: www.frenchandjupps.com

Oasthouse Engineering Stands 5-6 Pneumatech Stand 57

Puretech Separations Stand 47 Qualflow Systems Stand 52 Rankin Brothers Stand 14

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PREVIEW

T. Freemantle will be at BevExpo to show its beverage packing machines

British packing machine manufacturer, T. Freemantle, will showcase its beverage packing machines at BevExpo. The range of machines aims to assist beverage manufacturers in packing cans or glass bottles into cardboard multipacks.

The current mix of semi- and fullyautomatic machines have become popular within the beverage industry, reducing the need for high labour costs and increasing the sheer volume of product delivery.

In addition to the popular multipack machines, T. Freemantle is ready to deliver its brand new combo tray and case packing machine to

Canadian Brewery, Station22.

Working alongside its current fully automatic beverage multipack machine, the tray/case packer will pack cans into outer cardboard tray or boxes, reducing the need for shrink wrap and excess packaging. The trays will be suitable for instant distribution to supermarkets and buyers, without the need for further wrapping or handling.

T. Freemantle has worked with both small and large craft brewers and its product range aims to suit the needs of both. Please visit stand 17 to find out more, watch demo videos and chat to us.

Porter Lancastrian exhibiting at BevExpo

Since 1936 Porter Lancastrian has been a leader in the design, development and manufacturing of drinks dispense products for the global drinks industry.

We are looking forward to welcoming customers new and old, at our BevExpo stand this year. Our experienced sales team will be on hand to assist with any queries or enquiries.

We will be showcasing our iPlaque which is the latest addition to our range. This will demonstrate how captivating this product is in person and how it can increase sales.

Alongside this, we will be exhibiting our Brewhouse font in our latest font finish addition in Matt Black. There will also be sample boards of our full range of font finishes to show off how

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STAND 17 Silver Sponsor

For further information: www.tfreemantle.com

STAND 18 Silver Sponsor

ALSO AT BEVEXPO

Royston Labels Stand 26

Soft Drinks international Stand 2

Smart Container Company Stand 28

striking these font finishes are in real life.

There will also be samples of printed lenses, insert sleeves, and samples of our brand enhanced options for both fonts and handles. These will include vinyl printed wraps, UV print and engraving. If you are looking for something more bespoke our sales team are happy to discuss brand enhanced font options to bring your brand to life.

If you would like to schedule an appointment in advance please email Paul.Lockwood@porta.co.uk Come and say hello at stand 18.

For further information: www.porta.co.uk

Drinksflow Stand 30

Valpar Micro Matic Stands 20-21 Vega Controls Ltd Silver Sponsor Stand 60

Waterside Fabrications Stand 27 Wild Goose Filling Stands 42-43

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PREVIEW

Sure Purity, is honoured with Queen’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade

Blaydon-headquartered manufacturer Sure Purity Ltd has received a Queen’s Award for Enterprise, recognising excellence in International Trade.

The award will see the North East manufacturer named as one of 225 organisations nationally to be honoured with a prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise.

Founded in 2016, Sure Purity manufactures carbon dioxide polishing filtration systems used by the beverage industry to prevent contamination of products. Using a unique technology, its system removes potentially harmful trace impurities from beverage grade carbon dioxide. With contamination resulting in off-flavours, smells and appearance of beverages, and in some instances even leading to food safety recalls, this technology addresses major global quality concerns in the beverage industry.

Founder and managing director, Gary Robson said: “Having worked in the global beverage industry for more than 25 years, it was my first-hand experience that led me to develop a business that could address industry concerns over reoccurring food safety issues that arise from contamination.

For the first 18 months, we invested heavily in our research and

development to create a product which could address this and were awarded a contract with two major global brands to develop technology which would support their own manufacturing.”

With increasingly high demand from international customers, the Gateshead-based company has experienced considerable growth over the last few years, doubling turnover since 2019. Despite the challenges of the Covid-19 global pandemic Sure Purity has recently increased its workforce to support with manufacturing and has recently moved into a larger premises in Blaydon to accommodate its expansion. Soon to be expanding into new markets and introducing new products, the business aims to create more jobs in the region with its continued growth.

Speaking of receiving the award, Gary said: “It’s an incredible honour to receive an award this prestigious and we’re proud to be flying the flag for the North East region. We’re a region that is known for our history of innovation

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and we’re proud to be continuing this legacy. With our industry-leading product, we’re not only helping to protect global brands and their consumers brands from issues of contamination, we are also providing a sustainable way for major brands’ beverage bottling plants to reduce their solid waste by 50%, and in doing so lower their carbon footprint.”

Now in its 56th year, the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the most prestigious business awards in the country, with winning businesses able to use the esteemed Queen’s Awards Emblem for the next five years.

For further information: www.surepurity.com Tel: 0191 933 0630

Visit The Omega Bar on Stand 51 at BevExpo Omega Ingredients is a highly specialised and award-winning creator, manufacturer and supplier of high quality, provenance driven, natural flavours and ingredients for the food and beverage industry, worldwide.

As a major Sponsor of BevExpo 2022, Omega invites you to ‘The Omega Bar’ at Stand 51 where we showcase

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our range of Non-Alcoholic Spirits and Alcoholic Spirits together with Mixers, featuring our SigNATURE® Natural Flavours, 100% Pure and Natural kiiNotes® and ΩMegaSweet® Natural Flavour Technology, providing that point of difference in creating the next successful brand, from everyday conventional to the unusual, from ‘Source to Sip’. We look forward to meeting you.

For further information: www.omegaingredients.co.uk

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PREVIEW

Visit Brewing Business magazine on Stand 1

Brewing & Beverage Industries Business magazine was set up in 2016 as the ONLY U.K. publication specifically dedicated to showcasing the Supply Chain to Britain’s breweries, distilleries and cider makers.

With hard copies mailed out quarterly to more than 2,100 UK brewers, distillers and cider makers, B&BIB can boast almost three times the circulation of SIBA’s Independent Brewer publication, but with much lower advertising rates, and even more so in comparison to the Brewers’ Journal

K-Flex Bevex is now delighted to announce the second phase of its global expansion. K-Flex Group has invested €1.5m in a new production facility to manufacture beverage tubing and python within the 1.2

If you are a U.K. drinks producer not in receipt of a regular copy, then please visit us - Chris or Sharon - on our stand (Stand No. 1) and we will add you to our mailing list.

Alternatively, if you are a company providing products and services to U.K. brewers, distillers etc, then please ask us for a digital copy of our Media Pack. Editorial inclusion is ALWAYS free and our advertising deals come with free Social Media coverage. What’s not to like?!

For further information: brewingbusiness.co.uk chris@brewingbusiness.co.uk

million square foot Polish insulation manufacturing facility . This is another ‘First’, as the only facility in the world to manufacture the insulation foam, tubing, pythons, and coatings in one location.

BevEx are SK, NSF and ISO 9001 accredited and provide a significant range of solutions to the dispense industry. K-Flex, the world leading Elastomeric insulation manufacturer, have technical expertise in thermal insulation, fire protection, acoustics and OEM markets and has applied its knowledge to create a range of

products to meet the high specification demands of today’s markets.

The drinks industry is a growing market internationally, and CPL recognises the demand for professional and talented individuals to help clients meet their goals in a competitive marketplace.

Providing a first-class recruitment service for a wide network of clients from global and international drinks companies to regional and microbreweries, CPL sources and recruits the talent for the future, specialising in operational and technical roles at middle to executive level.

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In order to meet the highest standards required by employers in the drinks industry, CPL has the right experience and extensive network of contacts necessary to optimise the search process for both candidates and companies. Our clients enjoy the advantages of working with a sectorspecialist search company, and we help talented and ambitious applicants secure the best opportunities to meet their career plans.

As a small company, we are proud of the professional and dedicated service we offer in a highly competitive market. Our team is comprised of Julie Carling, Penny Zaloumis, Laurence Rougeaux, Tanya White and Brigid Davies.

The Carling Partnership looks forward

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We would like to welcome you to our stand where you will meet Dirk Parker (UK General Manager), Xavier Bertran (European Sales Manager), and Mel Frost UK (Sales Manager) who are there to assist with all your enquiries.

For further information: www.kflex.com

Leading international search specialists

The Carling Partnership Ltd (CPL) is a leading international search company working exclusively within the brewing, distilling, cider, wine and soft drinks industries.

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publication. Plus OUR circulation is ABC audited and certified.

K-Flex Bevex announces global expansion

BevEx, part of the K-Flex Insulation Group, manufactures beverage dispense equipment and became the first python manufacturer to produce both the elastomeric foam insulation and polymer tubing for their product range.

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to being of assistance to you with your next recruitment or career move.

For further information: www.carlingpartnership.com

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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

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PREVIEW

Try the Venom Dispense Unit at BevExpo

Established in 1965, Booth Dispensers offers a full range of cooling solutions. At our facility in the UK, we design and manufacture in-house using state-of-the-art technology to exceed the highest standards and provide innovative cooling solutions for the brewing, soft drinks, water and vending industries across the globe.

Our sales team will be exhibiting at the BevExpo stand 36 and 37, where we will offer attendees the opportunity to try out our Venom Dispense Unit and give visitors a first-hand taste of quality beer straight from the tap.

We are excited to debut our brandnew sub-zero cooling suppressant ALV Plus. The advanced low viscosity liquid is a higher performing alternative to glycol Proven to be up to 66% more efficient than Mono Propylene Glycol, resulting in huge

cost savings per litre and reduced energy bills! ALV has a superior environmental profile, contains no heavy metals and is the only heat transfer fluid on the market with NSF certification and FDA approval, providing zero risk of toxicity!

With over 50-yrs experience between them, Ray and Julian will be happy to help and guide you with how to achieve the greatest stand-out for your brand on the bar.

This will be the first public display by HH of its unique and innovative, class leading Liberty Font range. The Liberty Font offers many novel features, including fully integrated connectivity and interchangeable branding.

An eye-catching range of Excel animated digital screens will be on display, with options including encrypted integrated USB graphic content as well as WIFI and Bluetooth connectivity options where ‘pushed’ content is required.

The brand new Inspire modular tower concept will be on display. This is a uniquely flexible spinal construction system allows for limitless modular configurations which can be combined

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We will also be showcasing our Hydrocarbon Remote Cooler Range!

The eco-friendly Integral WaterCooled Systems have been specifically developed and designed for improved energy efficiency helping save money and the environment, while providing a complete dispense solution for even the busiest accounts.

In addition, we also have the CrownRange Water Coolers, designed to provide a practical, easy-to-use dispense solution in a stylish and premium package!

We are looking forward to catching up with both new and existing customers.

Be sure to drop by and say hello!

For further information: www.booth-dispensers.co.uk

First public display of innovative Liberty Font

by HH Point Of Sale

Come and meet HH Point of Sale on Stand 29.

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with single or multiple dispense (tap) points. This Inspire system has been designed with sustainability in mind, utilising unique constructional components which can be reused many times over.

Combined with laser cut profiled sheet metal components, the Inspire system offers unrivalled flexibility and value for money.

HH will also be showing a range of bespoke and customised fonts, for a range of brands including Kopparberg, Budweiser, and St Peters Brewery.

These demonstrate a mixture of font styles as well as providing an insight into the broad spectrum of high-quality finishing and decoration techniques which include ‘in-mould decoration’ for ultra-high-definition branding for lenses.

Finally, HH will be showing examples of its high-quality taps and tap handles, including handles with

integrated illumination. The selection will illustrate the company’s wide range of constructional and material options as well as a variety of decoration and finishing techniques.

Whatever your requirements, HH Point of Sale can offer optimised branding solutions to ensure maximum stand-out for your brand on the bar.

For further information: https://hhpointofsale.net

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PREVIEW

Where drinks manufacturers can showcase their products to the industry.

This area will be the social hub within the exhibition hall where both visitors and exhibitors can connect and network in an informal environment.

DECORRUM

DECORRUM is an Art Deco inspired rum blend imported from Guyana, Caribbean and has become one of the UK's fastest growing Rum brands due to its truly unique experience, taste and difference.

Using 100% natural ingredients and boasting no artificial flavours, Decorrum focuses on premium quality encompassing unique flavours and secrets from around the world for any stylish 1920’s flapper or dapper to enjoy. The distinct flavour profile of honey, vanilla and rhubarb complement the warming spices, cinnamon, clove, orange zest and ginger to create an unforgettable taste like no other!

Mastered in Manchester, the honey comes from our very own bees located in a bee sanctuary on top of the iconic Printwork’s building in Manchester’s city centre. Through our ‘Buy A Bottle, Adopt A Bee’ scheme each Honey Western worker bee used to make the honey is adopted with every bottle purchased; with the individual bee's name labelled on each bottle. Decorrum understands

the importance of eco-system sustainability as well as maintaining the high quality of ingredients that goes into the rum including the honey that contributes to its golden colour and sweet flavour. Furthermore, a donation to the ‘Forever Manchester’ charity is made with every bottle purchased to support community activities across the North West.

Our accolades include GOLD at ‘The People’s Choice Spirit Awards; 'Rum on the Rocks' and 'Spice up your Life,' SILVER at London Spirits Competition and SILVER at the Global Spirit Masters & London Spirit Awards 2022.

For further information: www.decorrum.co.uk

THE RUNAWAY BREWERY

Established in 2014, The Runaway Brewery is an independently owned, awardwinning microbrewery based in central Manchester.

We brew flavour-focussed, modern British beer in a range of styles – from punchy, hop forward pales and IPAs; to robust, malt driven bitters, porters and stouts; and elegant, seasonal sours, wheat beers and saisons.

Our beer is internationally influenced, but also recognisably British. Whilst we respect brewing traditions, what we brew is contemporary in style, often inspired by place, era, or a specific ingredient. All of our beers are unfiltered and unpasteurised to retain and maximise flavour, with the majority being vegan friendly too. Our beer is designed to be served chilled

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SKINNYBRANDS

Born from growing demand by consumers for healthier options, SkinnyBrands pushed the boundaries and responded to that demand. Created for mindful, aware and increasingly informed individuals, SkinnyBrands created Skinny Lager.

Skinny Lager is a full flavour premium lager, that’s 4% ABV and only 89 calories per bottle whilst also being vegan, gluten free and kosher.

Skinny Lager is called ‘skinny’ because it has 35% fewer calories than other premium lagers. On average that’s 72% fewer carbs! Just like you’d order a ‘skinny latte’ consumers can now order a ‘skinny lager’.

Following on from the success of Skinny Lager, SkinnyBrands have now launched ‘Skinny IPA’ – a full flavour premium IPA, that’s also 4% ABV and only 89 calories per can whilst being vegan, gluten free and kosher.

Skinny IPA has 40% fewer calories than other IPAs.

For further information: www.skinnybrands.com

and is naturally carbonated through secondary fermentation in keg or bottle.

As well as producing our own range for wholesale, we frequently collaborate with other local businesses, artisans and producers and have brewed one off, bespoke beers with local chefs, bakers, coffee roasters, brands and bee-keepers to name but a few. We also brew collaborative house-beers for the likes of Rudy’s Pizza, Honest Burgers and Grub MCR.

Although we export to Europe and work with a handful of independent distributors here in the UK, the majority of our beer is enjoyed across Manchester and the North West. As a small, local brewery we value the close relationships we’ve built with the people who buy our beer. To achieve

that, we primarily work directly with bars, pubs, cafes & restaurants, as well as universities, galleries, hotels, and a range of independent retailers.

Alongside our brewery, we a have a pop-up tap room and beer garden, which we open to the public every Saturday, and offer brewer-led, behind-the-scenes tours and tastings each week.

For further information: www.therunawaybrewery.com

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Showcasing the British spirit Alan Powell

Whither WOWGR for spirits and beer?

At the meeting of the Joint Alcohol and Tobacco Consultative Group (JATCG) of 21 March 2022, HMRC announced a review of the Warehousekeepers and Owners of Warehoused Goods Regulations 1999 (WOWGR).

The WOWGR regime is a veritable pain for the spirits and beer industry, as I have submitted constantly to HMRC Policy, so HMRC’s unexpected announcement has wide-reaching implications and possibilities.

HMRC’s presentation

HMRC recognizes that WOWGR is inconsistent and causes problems, which may briefly be summarized as follows: • Only spirits, beer and tobacco products included in the scheme; • Oils (fuel) ownership excluded from the scheme, as is wine and madewine (including flavoured ciders) • Duty points created for errors/ breaches of WOWGR (which are in breach of retained EU law) and cause immense difficulty to resolve; • Problems with identification of ownership of the goods for the third party warehousekeeper.

HMRC say the review will help it adopt an effective policy and ensure any future changes to WOWGR are approached clearly and consistently.

HMRC hold no fixed or preferred view of change.

HMRC’s indicated options appear to be: • Do nothing; • Complete revocation of WOWGR registration of owners; • Remove investment in product owned in warehouse (mainly spirits) as a “revenue trade”; • Remove cask/bulk spirits from the ownership scheme;

HMRC's timeline is tight and had commenced by the JATCG meeting, to be concluded by July.

Rationale for WOWGR and observations

The rationale for WOWGR is set out in the explanatory notes to the regulations, stating: The provisions in respect of owners of goods held in excise warehouses (and their duty representatives) enable the Commissioners to identify those persons who hold duty suspended excise goods in warehousing facilities provided by

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third parties. (Emphasis added).

The registration of owners was believed to be necessary to identify what HMCE (as was) termed “shadowy characters” carrying out spirits duty fraud from excise warehouse between 1994 -1998.

In fact, and as a matter of public record, the frauds were incited and orchestrated covertly by National Investigation Service (NIS) as an unlawful honey pot entrapment scam (the eponymous London City Bond fraud). HMCE knew all the owners of goods and the transporters in order to arrest and prosecute them. When HMCE stopped the operation abruptly in 1998, all the fraud ceased immediately. There literally was no spirits fraud as can be seen from the official revenue data. The fraud was a major cause of HMCE and the Inland Revenue being merged by law in 2005.

Moreover, the implementation of WOWGR did not, nor could, achieve more than HMCE had already done by simply stopping the fraud 18 months previously. For that reason alone, the scheme, which has no basis in EU law, fails utterly to meet any measure of the principle of proportionality which requires HMRC to do no more than necessary to achieve the legitimate objective. Unfortunately, HMCE (as was) and HMRC hitherto avoided this uncomfortable truth. Nevertheless, as HMRC now recognizes, the law is inconsistent because oils (fuel) ownership is excluded from the scheme, as are wine and made-wine. It should be noted that since most commercial cider is flavoured cider and therefore taxed as made-wine, flavoured cider is also excluded from the scheme. Only beer and spirits are really left as alcohol products within the scheme.

Wider problems

Duty points are created for errors leading to non-compliance with WOWGR (which are in breach of

retained EU case law — known as the “Polihim" case) and there are growing problems concerning the clear identification of ownership of cask spirits in warehouse (actually caused inadvertently by the mechanics of WOWGR).

Evaluation of options

The registration and authorization of excise warehousekeepers filled a gap (lacuna) in UK law to enable HMCE to formally authorize persons as excise warehousekeepers. It is therefore necessary to maintain such registration.

In terms of registration of owners of goods in warehouse and duty representatives, the WOWGR scheme is riddled with inconsistencies, anomalies and breaches of retained EU law.

Accordingly, HMRC does not realistically have an option to do nothing. The BDA’s position is as follows: • WOWGR has caused unintended problems for ownership of casks of spirits maturing in warehouse.

Therefore, there is a case for removal of cask spirits from the scheme, which would remove from the register a great many owners of goods in warehouse.

• There is also a case with for removing the interpretation of investment in spirits in warehouse as a “revenue trade”. This would also remove large numbers of registered owners of goods in warehouse and could be in unison with removal of cask spirits from the scheme.

• However, any “piecemeal” removal of such parts of the WOWGR scheme would leave little purpose in the regime remaining on the statute book, because there would be far more exclusions from WOWGR than products and activities remaining within its ratio.

Continued opposite

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Recommendation

The BDA will be urging HMRC to either: • amend WOWGR to repeal registration of owners and duty representatives; or • revoke the regulations entirely and replace with a short statutory instrument that continues to regulate the authorization of warehouse keepers.

The Alcohol Wholesale Registration Scheme (AWRS), which encompasses all alcohol products comprehensively addresses any existing risk of alcohol duty fraud. Moreover due diligence is, in any case, part of the anti-fraud infrastructure for both duty suspension and duty-paid supply chains under AWRS. WOWGR is overkill and a “con” on the industry.

Alan Powell

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.

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.

For further information: www.britishdistillersalliance.com

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SHOWCASE Containers

We asked companies supplying the following products and services to let us know something about themselves....

l New, or pre-owned and re-furbished casks and kegs – for purchase or lease – plus cask repair and branding services, and container closures. l Container systems for drinks dispense l Bottles & cans plus labelling and decoration, and on-shelf packaging. l Bulk packaging & associated labelling for transportation of beer and other beverages. l IT systems for container tracking.

Unique new can decorating service arrives in U.K. A brand new canning service for the United Kingdom is set to be launched in July, for the first time providing craft drinks producers with an opportunity to decorate their cans with photo-realistic images on a 360 degree basis, incorporating the neck, with no overlap band in evidence.

Introduced by Oasthouse Engineering as part of a multi-million-pound investment, and using the latest high resolution Hinterkopf digital printing technology, the service will be particularly beneficial to smaller craft

brewers, distillers and cider makers, in that quantities go from 1 upwards, with the cost per can unaffected by minimum order requirements.

The decorating service incorporates all types of can, including standard, sleek and slim, from 150ml up to the 568ml ‘pint’ can. For the first time UK brewers will be able to directly decorate a 330ml sleek can, where previously a label would have been required.

Standard lead times are typically three weeks, although a premium ‘Just-InTime’ service will also be available. Resolutions up to 1,200dpi can be achieved, although there is a cost-saving by using a lower resolution. An artwork service is also in the pipeline, with proofing either on-site or mailed out to the customer.

Comments Sam Morris of Oasthouse: “This will be a unique service to UK craft drinks producers. Only the cost of the inks dictates the pricing structure. We can use metallic inks, thermographic inks, a mixture of matt and gloss, embossing - we can even produce a

hybrid (part-print, part-label) can. All cans are fully recyclable.”

For more information about the new service, and what opportunities it can offer your business, please contact Sam Morris via email sam@oasthouseengineering.co.uk

For further information: oasthouse-engineering.com 01709 780675

Graphic Packaging extends range of sustainable packaging solutions for beverage industry

Graphic Packaging International , a leading manufacturer of fibrebased consumer packaging solutions, has enhanced its range of sustainable multipack packaging for the beverage industry.

In line with its commitment to ongoing product innovation in support of a more circular economy, the business has launched EnviroClip™ - a minimal material, paperboard alternative to plastic rings and shrink film for standard beverage cans.

“EnviroClip enables beverage companies to significantly increase sustainability by replacing plastic packaging for can multipacks with a recyclable and renewable solution,”

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explained Ricardo de Genova, SVP global innovation and new business at Graphic Packaging. “Its launch complements our KeelClip™ beverage can multipack solution and means we are now able to meet customer requirements across a full spectrum of different sized operations.”

The new Graphic Packaging solution is made from a single ply of paperboard, produced using renewable fibre from sustainably managed forests. No adhesive or plastic laminations are utilised in its construction.

EnviroClip employs equipment with a small footprint that can run at a range of speeds from manual application to highspeed automation. It can also be used alongside KeelClip for customers who want to employ different pack formats

depending on production quantities or because they have a multitiered product strategy. The solution can be used for both 12-oz (330ml) and 16-oz (500ml) standard cans in fourand six-pack configurations.

The cans remain easy to detach at the point of consumption while the overall pack design features finger holes to ensure easy and comfortable carrying.

Further benefits include the space to print high-impact brand and sustainability messages.

For further information: www.graphicpkg.com

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SHOWCASE Containers

Third Schäfer ECO lightweight keg delivery for Windsor and Eaton Brewery

The Windsor and Eaton brewery has recently taken delivery of its third load of Schäfer ECO lightweight 50 litre kegs. At almost 3 kilos lighter than allsteel equivalents, they are proving extremely popular with both brewery staff and customers.

The ECO lightweight keg is also available in 20L and 30L sizes with a weight saving of 2kg over all stainless steel, and an overall reduction in steel content of 40%.

With colour co-ordinated branded polypropylene hoops in the brewers’ colours and electro-etched or colour silk screen branding on the steel body, they are very striking and make an immediate brand positive impact.

Having stackable hoops, they are safe and secure and do not require locator boards or pallets to stack, while using polypropylene for the hoops ensures handholes are comfortable when lifting for cellar staff.

The recent dramatic increases in stainless steel prices - in addition to fuel - are leading brewers to examine their

cooperage options for the future regarding weight and steel content.

With these issues in mind Schäfer developed the award-winning light weight ECOKEG a decade ago, which has proved particularly popular in European and Asian markets with well over 2 million now in service.

The ECOKEG not only drastically reduces the stainless-steel content but helps reduce the decibel level in kegging halls.

Following on from this the implementation of congestion charges in UK cities could potentially see the necessity for night-time beer collections/ deliveries, along with the problems that could bring with high decibel levels handling all steel kegs particularly empty kegs. With the contact points of the Eco lightweight produced in polypropylene, this would not be an issue.

Mixed material kegs with a lower stainless content are also less attractive to the metal thieves who have become a bane to the industry in times of rising raw material prices.

Pictured above : Matt Stead of Windsor and Eaton takes delivery of new Schäfer lightweight kegs

For further information:

mhickman@schaefer-container-systems.com

Tel: 07538 069886

THIELMANN joins the Steel Keg Association

THIELMANN has announced that the company has joined together with other leading keg supply chain players to form the Steel Keg Association.

The Steel Keg Association is a marketing-focused non-profit organisation that aims to increase the volume of beer and other beverages served from stainless steel kegs.

These partners include BLEFA, Hillebrand Gori, Micro Matic, MicroStar Logistics, and Schäfer Container Systems.

The Steel Keg Association’s mission is underpinned by stainless steel’s sustainability credentials. A single stainless steel keg has an approximate lifespan of over 30 years, and at the end of its life, is 100% recyclable. Combined with quality, durability, and hygiene, this

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makes stainless steel kegs the optimal choice for transporting and storing beverages. Dan Vorlage, Executive Director of the newly formed association and MicroStar Logistics VP of Global Marketing, said: “When you choose draft from steel kegs, you’re making the most sustainable choice by removing single-use packages from recycling and landfill streams.”

Research supports this statement. The new ISO-14040 framework Life Cycle Analysis published by Deloitte demonstrates the use of steel kegs is key to a circular economy.

Kyle Tanger, Managing Director of Deloitte’s US sustainability practice, said: “Steel kegs are truly one of the best examples of reusability and circularity, with decades of reuse potential. In the US, compared to singleuse containers, steel kegs save over

400,000 metric tons of greenhouse gasses (GHGs) and keep roughly 500,000 tons of packaging out of landfills each year.”

The Steel Keg Association’s mission resonates with THIELMANN’s commitment to sustainability. The company believes that stainless steel will play a vital role in making the brewing and beverage industries environmentally sound.

The Steel Keg Association’s efforts will be focused on the US beer market initially, expanding to the UK and Western Europe later in 2022.

THIELMANN is looking forward to working with the Steel Keg Association to promote the use of stainless steel kegs as a sustainable solution

For further information: www.thielmann.com

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Give your business a ‘Lightweight’ boost!

For further information contact Mike Hickman on 07538 0690886 or email mhickman@schaefer-container-systems.com

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SHOWCASE Containers

Bevcraft Group acquires the mobile canning business of UK canning pioneer Them That Can

The Bevcraft Group has completed the acquisition of the mobile canning business of Them That Can in a move which promises to deliver significant service level improvements to the UK craft beverage market, including enhanced market coverage and capacity.

Them That Can’s mobile fleet, equipment and associated crews will join Bevcraft with the enlarged offering operating as Craft Canning UK. There will be continuity of service to all existing Them That Can mobile customers.

The transfer will allow the management of Them That Can to focus on opportunities in the static canning market and to benefit from access to Bevcraft’s supply chain for these retained activities.

Bevcraft has in recent years developed one of the most extensive integrated craft can supply chain in the UK with can distribution and decoration facilities in both Merseyside and Peterborough.

These are complemented by international centres which add further supply chain strength as well as access

to laboratory, technical support and line servicing centres.

Recently Bevcraft commissioned Europe’s very first Tonejet Digital Print plant at its Peterborough site which provides an environmentally sustainable, economic and versatile decoration option for cans entirely free of minimum order restrictions.

Launched with an initial 330ml capability, it will expand to include 440ml and 500ml next quarter. These services will be immediately available to all existing Them That Can customers.

The transaction will see Bevcraft’s team increase towards 40 people across all divisions.

Commenting on the deal Darren Fenton, COO of the Bevcraft Group, said: “The UK craft beer market is one of the most vibrant and exciting in the world and for the last six years Them That Can has worked hard to create the UK’s leading mobile canning service. We have always respected the Them That Can team and we are now very excited for them to be part of our shared story as we both embark on the next chapters of growth which will deliver further improvements to the market.

“Mobile canning is a very visible activity and one which demands best practice and attention to detail. We have for years been investing in testing protocols, quality operating standards and maximum transparency across our network. These are values shared by Them That Can which we look forward to continuing and building upon.”

Them That Can launched one of the first mobile canning operations in the UK following its incorporation in 2015 and quickly emerged as a quality leader in the UK market.

Led by Jamie Kenyon, Mark Banks and Peter Haydon, the Them That Can fleet has become a familiar sight across the length and breadth of the country.

For further information: www.bevcraft.co.uk

Personalising technology is ‘game-changing’

Diageo, the world’s largest producer of spirits and an international leader in beer and wine with over 200 brands, wanted to differentiate its products in both on- and off-trade environments and generate new direct-to-consumer relationships.

They chose EVRYTHNG to help them to build brand loyalty through a continuous digital dialogue with consumers.

In today’s digital world, brands need to be more creative than ever to capture the attention of consumers. And in the highly competitive beverage industry, where more than 50% of every pound spent is the direct result of a digital interaction, beverage brands are seeking creative ways to differentiate products throughout the consumer

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journey—before and after purchase.

EVRYTHNG’s solution transformed physical beverage bottles into owned digital media assets. With Diageo’s +More app and the EVRYTHNG IoT SaaS platform, each individual bottle connects to the web allowing Diageo to deliver real-time product experiences and information to consumers on demand.

As a result, Diageo’s +More app allows digital interaction with consumers, providing simple tools to personalise products for gift giving, share products on social networks, and ‘check in’ to products for frictionless loyalty rewards.

Originally deployed in Latin America with a Father’s Day promotion, consumers who purchased a select Diageo whisky brand were given the digital tools to attach personalised film

tributes to their dads. Both the purchaser of the bottle and the recipient were able to share the digital content via social networks while having the opportunity to opt-in to Diageo’s customer relationship management system to receive future communications from the brand.

“EVRYTHNG’s technology is game changing,” said Venky Balakrishnan Iyer Global Vice President, Futures, Diageo.

“We have a profound strategic opportunity to transform our physical products into owned digital media, which can communicate personalised information and experiences to consumers, exactly when and where they want it.”

For further information: evrythng.com

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SHOWCASE Containers

Fully recyclable paper tube packaging solution for premium drinks

With the demand for sustainable and 100% recyclable packaging growing like never before, including in the premium spirits market, Smurfit Kappa’s new 100% recyclable drinks packaging solution, the Smurfit Kappa Eco-Tube, is a perfect example

ever fully branded, 100% recyclable drinks packaging solution that the company has launched for the whisky market.

The Eco-Tube means that premium spirit packaging can now be fully recyclable, so companies don’t have to choose between quality and sustainability. It is widely recognised that paper tube packaging, particularly in the drinks industry, offers many benefits such as on-shelf disruption. Now, this can all be achieved with recyclable packaging.

When The Clydeside team first came to Smurfit Kappa, they wanted the traditional values of tube packaging including strength and shelf presence.

The opportunity to have all this as a fully recyclable option was exactly what they were looking for. The finished result is a stylish tube which carefully protects the product and stands out on shelves and in stores. The Clydeside Distillery opted for a design that represents the maritime history of Glasgow, which truly reflects their brand and product. Stobcross is

The company has recently developed this revolutionary product, providing a more sustainable paper tube packaging solution and which allows the traditional paper tube to be 100% recyclable within normal consumer recycling schemes.

The Smurfit Kappa Composites team recently completed a project for The Clydeside Distillery, which was the first

The distillery was in the process of launching its first single malt whisky, Stobcross, and needed the perfect premium drinks packaging solution. As the inaugural Single Malt from The Clydeside Distillery, Stobcross needed packaging which was high-quality, luxurious, and showcased its uniqueness. At the same time, the distillery wanted to ensure its packaging was sustainable, so the Eco-Tube was the perfect fit.

Alupro reports record year for aluminium packaging recycling

According to annual data published by the Environment Agency, the UK’s aluminium packaging recycling rate was a record 68% in 2021, with more than 156,000 tonnes collected for recycling (a 3% rise year-onyear).

More than four in five beverage cans were recycled last year (82%) – matching the previous record set in 2020. Despite a growing domestic market, aluminium packaging collected through kerbside, bring and on-the-go systems increased by 5% (112,210), while tonnage recovered from incinerator bottom ash grew by 2% (41,941). More than 88% of this total volume was recycled within the UK and EU, with just 12% being exported for reprocessing further afield.

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Tom Giddings, executive director at Alupro, commented: “It’s pleasing news indeed to report yet another record-breaking year for aluminium packaging recycling. While the total UK market size grew, recycling rates kept pace. More importantly still, the vast majority of material was collected through kerbside, bring and on-the-go systems, which maximised the potential for closed-loop recycling.”

Chris Latham-Warde of Every Can Counts, Alupro’s communications programme aimed at driving drink can recycling, added: “A record-breaking recycling rate reflects ever-increasing public awareness about environmental issues and the widespread benefits of recycling. Over the past 12 months, Every Can Counts and also

currently sold in The Clydeside Distillery shop and on the website, and the company is planning an international rollout over the coming months.

Smurfit Kappa Composites devised the EcoTube under its Smurfit Kappa Better Planet Packaging initiative. The company recognised the increased pressure that drinks manufacturers are under to adopt recyclable packaging solutions.

Previously, these manufacturers had to choose between the benefits that tube packaging can deliver or providing a sustainable solution. The Eco-Tube solves this dilemma, enabling the traditional composite tube to be 100% recyclable.

For further information: smurfitkappa.com/composites

MetalMatters have continued to engage consumers throughout the UK and Ireland to make real inroads towards improving recycling rates at home and when on the go.

“With a full schedule of events and activity planned with partners this year, we expect the figures to be even more impressive in 2022.”

For further information: www.alupro.org.uk

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SHOWCASE Containers

Make your beer stand out with Beatson Clark’s new amber bottle

Standing out from the crowd is a tough task for breweries these days. With so much choice on the shelves, one beer can look much like another to the average consumer.

An eye-catching bottle with an unusual shape or design that makes consumers look twice is a proven way to increase sales and improve your beer’s visibility.

One way to achieve some on-the-shelf standout appeal could be to package your brews in Beatson Clark’s new amber drinks bottle.

Beatson Clark’s new 330ml amber drinks bottle is based on an Alpha Sirop bottle, which means it was originally designed for medicines, and its retro vintage look is certainly a change from your average beer bottle.

It is available with a standard crown neck finish and, unlike the original pharmaceutical design, it is tested to 3.0 bar which makes it suitable for beers, ciders and carbonated drinks.

“This bottle is unique in the UK and it’s already proving very popular with breweries,” said Charlotte Pike, Marketing Manager at Beatson Clark.

“It’s available immediately from our general sale range, or customers can add their own custom embossing to the bottle with a minimum order of just 150,000 units and create a beautiful bottle that’s bespoke to their brand.

“Not only is amber glass visually attractive, it also has the added benefit of protecting the beer inside the bottle from harmful UV rays,” says Charlotte.

Beatson Clark’s amber bottles contain over 60% recycled content, and glass is the only primary packaging material that doesn’t require a plastic layer between the product and the packaging, so it’s all round the best choice when it comes to protecting the environment.

For further information: www.beatsonclark.co.uk

Festo and PCE Automation help Frugalpac increase production of sustainable wine bottles

A collaboration between Festo and PCE Automation has helped recyclable packaging experts Frugalpac Limited to achieve the high throughputs and precision assembly necessary to meet increased demand for its innovative paperboard Frugal Bottle.

Frugal Bottle is billed as the world’s first paper wine and spirits bottle. Its innovative design comprises an outer made from 94% recycled paperboard with an inner food grade pouch. Frugal Bottle is fully recyclable, is five times lighter than glass and has a much lower carbon footprint than traditional wine bottles. It also offers 360-degree branding for better impact on the shelf.

Frugal Bottles are manufactured from two paperboard blanks that are precision cut, glued and then wetted front and back, before being stacked ready for feeding into the bottle forming machine. Achieving the desired throughputs is a major challenge because the glue pathway is complex and must be tailored to the profile of the bottle. In addition, the correct amount of glue has to be applied to prevent

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malformation or unsightly glue excess on the finished bottle.

Frugalpac had approached an adhesive systems company for a solution, but they were unable to achieve the desired cycle times.

Working closely together, PCE Automation and Festo developed a fully automated gluing and wetting line to meet the tight tolerances and complex gluing patterns necessary to deliver throughputs of 630 bottles per hour.

Ronan Quinn, project manager for PCE, says: “The gluing process was more complex than anything we’d encountered before. Tight tolerances on the gluing pattern combined with a short cycle time and critical bead thicknesses were a real challenge. We would usually undertake the entire design and assembly inhouse, but on this occasion Festo supplied the handling gantries to us fully assembled which added real value in terms of component compatibility and commissioning.”

The automation cell provided by PCE Automation requires minimal human intervention. An operator loads the blanks for the front and back of the

bottles at the front end. The machine then picks, loads, transfers, glues, transfers again, wets and conveys the prepared blanks into a container at the end of process. The prepared blanks are then transferred to the bottle forming machine.

John-Paul Grogan, Product Director at Frugalpac, says: “Frugalpac is committed to the development of more sustainable packaging. The application of automation in the production of Frugal Bottle will help us to achieve our aim of reducing the carbon of wine and spirits packaging.”

For further information: www.festo.com/gb

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SHOWCASE Containers

The law of unintended consequences Explains Rick Sellers of Lindum Packaging

Sometimes the solution to a problem is worse than the problem itself. It's the law of unintended consequences: and it's more common than you think.

The quest for ever more eco-friendly packaging is a great example.

Spurred on by consumer concerns about turtles tangled in plastic, courtesy of Sir David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II, many brands and retailers have tried to rid themselves of plastic packaging.

The introduction of the plastics packaging tax on 1 April has only increased the pressure to cut plastic.

One industry that has moved away from plastic at pace is the beverage industry. In 2019 drinks giant Diageo announced it was reducing the amount of plastics used in its beer packaging and replacing it with cardboard. The company said it would remove the plastic ring carriers and shrink wrap from its multipacks of Guinness, Harp and Smithwick’s.

In January this year Mexican brewer Grupo Modelo said it is investing millions of dollars to move from plastic rings for its multi-packs of canned beers to fibre-based secondary packaging.

Many other brewers have done the same and happily received the consumer plaudits for their ecofriendly initiatives.

However, it’s not that simple. At Lindum Packaging our pallet stability experts have been working with one major brewery which has experienced significant movement in transport issues (MIT) with its pallets since the move away from plastic.

This has resulted in many pallets of beer arriving damaged and being rejected by customers. The damaged packs can’t be resold, so they have to be thrown away. Throwing away large amounts of beer is not simply a financial loss: it creates food waste which is a major contributor to carbon emissions.

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What’s more all the carbon embedded in making the cardboard wraps and aluminium cans as well as transporting them to the customer is also wasted. This far outweighs the carbon that’s been saved by moving away from plastic packaging.

When you add to this that the brewers had also invested hundreds of thousands of pounds converting their packaging lines away from plastic, the overall cost to the businesses was huge. Converting back to plastic would have resulted in even more cost.

To solve the problem our pallet stability specialists have been using Lindum’s Mobile Pallet Stability Test Lab to identify what was causing the problem.

Developed by Lindum Packaging, the test lab is the UK’s first on-site realtime pallet stability testing facility. Until its launch in 2021, companies had to conduct inconclusive transit trials, often at test facilities in Europe, at a cost of up to €8,000 per test.

Key issues we identified are that: •The cardboard sleeve packs used are more likely to experience MIT than plastic rings which provide greater stability • When loaded onto a pallet printed cardboard wraps and cartons slide against each other often due to the shiny print surface • The effects of changing from plastic to paper on the overall packaging system hadn’t been considered, especially in the area of pallet wrapping

The Lindum team conducted over 100 EUMOS tests (the European Safe Logistics Association) on 100 plus pallets of product. As a result of combining different stacking options, various wrap patterns and alternative stretch films, they have made major improvements.

One of the key problems identified was that the pallet wrapping machines at the end of each line were not properly calibrated and were using the wrong stretch wrap. Plus, regular

maintenance had been overlooked adding to stability problems.

Correcting these problems and using a much stiffer plastic stretch wrap has reduced MIT issues by 86% delivering major savings to the company.

Whilst it may seem ironic to be using plastic stretch wrap to reduce stability issues caused by a move to plasticfree packaging, the lesson should not be lost on any brewer looking to make a similar move.

The root cause of most of the MIT issues could have been avoided with proper testing when the decision to move away from plastic was made.

But that’s the thing about the law of unintended consequences, you don’t know what you don’t know, until you see the effects of a decision.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rick Sellars

Business Development Team Leader

A qualified packaging technologist, Rick joined Lindum Packaging from college.

He is an expert in undertaking our Lean Integrated Packaging Surveys (LIPS) for customers to identify ways to reduce production downtime, lower costs and reduce packaging waste.

For further information: www.lindumpackaging.com

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NEWS Ingredients

Muntons wins Global Brewing Supplier of the Year award

Muntons has been announced as a winner at the Global Brewing Supply Awards 2022 at the 11th RMI World Barley, Malt and Beer conference held in Antwerp, Belgium on 30th March.

The Supplier Of The Year award highlights excellence in the supply of malt products to the brewing industry throughout the world and is highly competitive.

Muntons was selected in recognition of its outstanding programme of sustainability commitment and action. The company started its sustainability journey back in 2007 because it was ‘the right thing to do’ and has continued momentum ever since.

In the past few years, Muntons has invested in a biomass plant at its Bridlington site, an anaerobic digester at the Stowmarket site and this year has opened the doors to a new biomass energy centre at the headquarters in Stowmarket.

Once fully on stream, it is anticipated the company will have decarbonised the maltings by a staggering 83% (Scope 1 & 2 emissions).

GBSA Awards Winners cheering are L-R Adrian Dyter, Mark Tyldesley, Nigel Davies and Tim Stonehouse

Muntons is not only limiting actions to its own business but working collaboratively across the supply chain, developing partnerships with UK farmers to grow 100% sustainable barley and working with them and global brewers, HEINEKEN, to pioneer regenerative agriculture trials with the aim of growing carbon negative barley.

The company is a leader within the global brewing industry when it comes to sustainability and it is this demonstrable leadership that has meant Muntons is the only global maltster ever to have won the award twice, having won it previously in 2015.

Mark Tyldesley, Group Managing Director of Muntons plc, comments, “This is an award that recognises the outstanding achievements we have delivered together in sustainability so far and gives us every incentive to do even more. Everyone who works at and with Muntons should be very proud of the work we have all done. The leadership and example we have been able to show on sustainability is inspiring our entire industry.”

For further information: www.muntons.com Tel: 01449 618300

Robertet announces acquisition of Omega Ingredients

Robertet has announced the acquisition of Omega Ingredients, a UK-based company specialising in the creation of the highest quality, provenance driven, natural flavours and ingredients for the food and beverage industry.

This investment reaffirms the Robertet Group’s determination to strengthen its leadership in natural flavour solutions by reinforcing its presence in the UK market.

It will also create new synergies within the group to better address new emerging customers clearly identified for future growth.

Omega Ingredients will benefit from Robertet’s expertise and creativity in naturals, to enhance all the values that made Omega so unique and successful.

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Olivier Maubert of Robertet says: “We are proud to welcome Omega Ingredients into the Robertet family. We share the same passion for natural products with a common concern for the future of the planet. Omega will add their unique approach complementing the creativity of Robertet. We are impressed by the motivation and dedication of their team, very aligned with the original values of Robertet. This acquisition will help consolidate our leadership in natural flavours and strengthen the group’s position in the UK and in other markets where Omega has a good presence.”

Steve Pearce, founder and CEO, Omega Ingredients, comments: “Omega Ingredients is excited to begin the next chapter of its history as part of the Robertet Group. We share the same

passion for naturals and products of excellence, the same vision with our CSR policies and of a strongly integrated sourcing of natural flavours and extracts.

We are looking forward to contributing to Robertet’s vision and growth.”

Omega Ingredients was established in 2001 in the UK, focusing on the creation of the highest quality, provenance driven, natural flavours and ingredients for the food and beverage industry. Renowned worldwide for delivering innovative, cutting-edge biochemistry through the use of all-natural materials, Omega Ingredients has developed a stellar network of suppliers and partners to ensure the highest quality ingredients possible.

For further information: www.omegaingredients.co.uk

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NEWS Ingredients

Tears of hoppy joy as Faram wins ‘Best Supplier Associate’ again

Charles Faram has been awarded the ‘Best Supplier Associate’ title in the SIBA Business Awards 2022. The team was ‘blown away’ when they found out that 31 UK brewers had taken the time to write nomination applications.

“Every time BeerX comes around we hope we will get a nomination and that our customers will vote for us,” said Paul Corbett, Charles Faram Managing Director.

“As a supplier it is the only competition we get entered into so to hear that we have been put through to the final is a wonderful feeling; to then be sat in the crowd and hear that we have won is just incredible! We put a lot of effort into looking after our customers and pride ourselves on being a friendly, caring team, so to hear that brewers have written in and voted based on the efforts we have made during the year just fills me and the team with pride. A massive thank-you to the team for all their hard work and our customers for voting for us. It really is a special feeling.”

The Charles Faram team collecting the award from James Calder, SIBA CEO

The Charles Faram team was out in force at BeerX and excitedly awaited the announcements, providing a wall of bright pink t-shirts in the audience at the ceremony in Liverpool on 16th March.

“It was a fabulous feeling getting back to BeerX to see everyone again. Then to win this award and see how many nominations there were was just incredible. We’re all so proud, more motivated than ever and even more

in-love with our customers,” commented Charlie Gorham, Charles Faram PR & Marketing Manager.

The 2022 win was the third in a row for Charles Faram. They also won the first ever SIBA Business Award for Best Supplier Associate in 2011.

For further information: charlesfaram.co.uk

GNT reveals ambitious targets in new report

EXBERRY® Coloring Foods supplier GNT has published a major new report that sets out its plans to become the leader in its field on sustainability.

Each year, GNT produces more than 11,500 metric tons of EXBERRY® concentrates from edible fruit, vegetables, and plants – enough to colour over 40 billion servings of food and drink.

To ensure the company is fit for the future, it has unveiled a sustainability roadmap for 2030 to optimise its environmental and social impacts across its global operations. The full plans feature in GNT’s new ‘Sustainability Report 2021,’ which also includes detailed information on its performance last year.

Frederik Hoeck, Managing Director at GNT Group B.V., said: “Since GNT was founded in 1978, we’ve been revolutionising the food colouring industry with our plant-based EXBERRY® solutions.

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Today, we’re known for offering the most natural solutions on the market. We now want to take this to the next level and lead the industry in sustainability too. As a family business, sustainability and caring for future generations have always been part of our DNA.”

GNT’s sustainability strategy is built around four key pillars: better products, better operations, better agriculture, and better for people. It features a total of 17 targets for 2030, including cutting the Product Environmental Footprint for EXBERRY® product ranges by 25% and reducing the intensity of factories’ CO2equivalent emissions by at least 50%.

Furthermore, due to GNT’s strong vertical integration, the company will soon be in a position to report on greenhouse gas emissions for 80% of EXBERRY® products. Covering scopes 1, 2 and 3, this data will provide important advantages for food and beverage brands as it will enable them to calculate final products’ total environmental footprint.

Rutger de Kort, Sustainability Manager at GNT Group B.V., said: “We’re positioning our EXBERRY® brand as the most sustainable food colouring solution on the market. GNT is committed to driving industry standards higher than ever before by providing colours that deliver on cost-in-use, performance, naturalness, and sustainability. Achieving our goals won’t be easy, but we’re already making excellent progress across multiple areas.”

To read GNT’s ‘Sustainability report 2021,’

exberry.com/en/ sustainability-report-2021/

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NEWS Ingredients

Innovative bubble technology helps the drinks industry meet eco targets and save money

A Yorkshire-based business that has spent the last few years developing pioneering bubble technology is helping beverage manufacturers and brands across the world to significantly reduce their carbon footprint and move closer towards net zero emissions targets.

Many manufacturers were not fully prepared for the introduction of the tax when it was introduced on 1 April and a recent poll conducted by the FPA (Foodservice Packaging Association) found that 80% of its members were not geared up to meet the criteria at introduction.

From its manufacturing base in Leeds, CO2Sustain’s team of technical innovations chemists has pioneered the preservative-free, carbonation aid CO2Sustain®. Adding the solutionbased ingredient to the beverage offers manufacturers and brands the ability to retain and extend carbonation, giving longer lasting fizzy drinks.

Jonathan Stott, general manager of CO2Sustain, said: “Ensuring a sustainable future has never been more important, especially in the beverage industry where millions of single-use plastic bottles are produced, and a considerable amount of energy is used to do it. However, this isn’t as straightforward as it sounds as it has become more difficult and expensive because of the introduction of the Plastic Packaging Tax coupled with the scarcity and expense of carbon dioxide plus astronomical rises in raw materials, production, labour, equipment, energy and transport costs.

Experts at global business CO2Sustain are working closely with many UK and overseas businesses to stay on track in achieving their environmental targets despite spiralling costs.

Crucially, it also proactively aids the process of ‘light weighting’, a technique that aims to drastically reduce plastic consumption in the beverage industry.

This is a feature that has become significantly more relevant especially in the UK where a new Plastic Packaging Tax has just been introduced.

The new legislation declares that all plastic packaging components made or imported into the UK are liable for a material levy if they fail to meet a minimum recycled content of 30% by weight.

In addition to retaining carbonation, adding CO2Sustain®. during the production stage can make a significant difference to carbon footprint, reducing plastic usage and limiting water consumption through the various benefits it offers.

Added Jonathan: “Light weighting is good news for drinks companies and for the planet but for drinks manufacturers this creates a similar problem to using recycled plastic as the integrity of the PET walls of bottles is compromised and reduces carbonation shelf life. This has the undesirable effect of deterring the

manufacturers from doing it.

“This is where the addition of our carbonation aid CO2 Sustain® during production makes a meaningful difference. Beverage businesses are free to produce drinks that use less plastic whilst maintaining the carbonation shelf life standard. With no impact on taste or appearance, our innovative non-silicone processing aid has the potential to contribute to massive waste reductions which is great news in the global battle against plastic pollution.

“We want to support sustainability, innovation and during this prolonged and very challenging economic climate, provide drinks brands with that little extra assistance to find the best planetfriendly eco solutions that work for them.”

For further information: www.co2sustain.com

Hach launches new online total chlorine analyser

Designed to meet user’s unique water cycle needs, the new Ultra Low Range CL17sc online total chlorine analyser has been introduced by Hach

Whether treating utility water, product water, or wastewater discharge, users will have the direct chlorine measurements needed to optimise their process, allowing them to protect valuable assets and report to regulatory agencies with confidence.

With the lowest limit of detection at 8 parts per billion, the Ultra Low Range

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CL17sc helps users: • Monitor for chlorine breakthrough and optimise the dechlorination process • Maintain accuracy without loss of sensitivity in a new target range with direct total chlorine measurement • Understand the true impact of chlorine exposure and forecast RO membrane efficiency with the Cumulative Chlorine Counter • Empower decision-making through its integration with Claros, the Water Intelligence System from Hach Says a spokesperson for Hach: “With Hach Service you have a global partner

who understands your needs and cares about delivering timely, high-quality service you can trust. Our Service Team brings unique expertise to help you maximise instrument uptime, ensure data integrity, maintain operational stability, and reduce compliance risk.”

For further information: www.uk.hach.com

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NEWS Ingredients

Totally Natural Solutions wins prestigious business award following record international sales

Totally Natural Solutions (TNS), a supplier of natural and sustainable hop oils to the global brewing industry, has been awarded the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise – International Trade, following a period of significant international sales growth.

The honour is recognition of the UKbased company’s “outstanding shortterm growth” in overseas sales over the last three years. Since 2019, TNS has seen its overseas sales grow by 89 per cent, following an export strategy that focused on beverage markets in United States, Europe and South East Asia.

TNS currently provides its natural hop oil solutions to more than 650 breweries worldwide.

The UK-wide Queen’s Award for Enterprise is regarded as one of the most prestigious business awards programmes in the world. It’s an International Trade award given to businesses that demonstrate how they are excelling in overseas marketplaces, through clear delivery of its products while identifying new markets and upholding social, economic, and environmental best practices.

year of growth, where turnover increased by 44 per cent from £2.7 million in 2020 to £3.9 million in 2021. It has also seen strong growth in its zeroalcohol range, HopZeroÒ, which is designed to help brewers create quality alcohol-free products in a sustainable way.

Colin Wilson, Totally Natural Solutions managing director (pictured right), who established the company in 2013, said: “We’re thrilled to have won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for our success in international trade. It’s testament to the incredible hard work and dedication of our whole team over the past three years, where we have managed to significantly grow our sales at home and abroad despite the sector’s challenging trading environment.

“Around 70 per cent of our business is outside of the UK, so exports are vital to our success and continued growth. We are seeing significant increase in export sales in many markets, with South Korea currently our fastest growing, and growing interest in Australia and New Zealand amongst others.

“Across the business, sales have grown significantly, as brewers’ experiment with more efficient brewing methods including how to use hop oils to expand business and product offerings to

overcome the ongoing challenges faced by the industry. Recent investment in a new 6,500 square foot warehouse in the UK has also contributed to shorter lead times for our export sales to markets including the United States and Asia.”

Totally Natural Solutions aspires to further grow turnover significantly in the next years, with immediate plans to expand its team, and is investing heavily on capital infrastructure and business systems to allow capacity to increase five-fold by the end of 2022.

For further information: www.totallynaturalsolutions.com

Fermentis introduces first dry Brett for secondary fermentation in bottles and casks

TNS recently celebrated a successful

The wild yeast Brettanomyces has made a comeback in the global beer industry in recent years, and in response to its newfound popularity, Fermentis is launching the first Brett in a dry, microgranular format.

SafBrew™ BR-8 offers brewers all the flavourful benefits of the ‘wild’ yeast Brettanomyces but with more control and reliability. Selected specifically for secondary fermentation in bottles and/or casks, SafBrew™ BR-8 is characterised by production of the phenolic compounds, such as 4-ethylguaiacol and 4-Ethylphenol, responsible for many of the funkier flavour descriptors like horse blanket, leather, and barnyard

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aromatics at the end of fermentation.

SafBrew™ BR-8 assimilates mono-, diand tri-saccharides (glucose, maltose, maltotriose) but not all sugars, like some wild Brett. It offers more control compared to a wild Brett and a greater reliability for the user, as there is no risk of over-saturation or gushing after bottling.

Its significant consumption of sugars will allow fewer residual sugars and thus better drinkability.

Brettanomyces is a slowly fermenting microorganism, so the beer requires a period of maturation. It is also possible that the profile will evolve slightly through 6 months of maturation and beyond.

SafBrew™ BR-8 gives brewers a reliable tool for attaining a slightly funky, specific phenolic character to their beers - as well as beers that are drier, more highly attenuated, fruitier, lighter in body, and slightly funkier as they age.

Fermentis is a business unit of Lesaffre Group, a key player in yeast and its applications.

For further information: www.fermentis.com

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NEWS Production Equipment

Hope Beer invests in canning line from Vigo Ltd

The story of Hope Beer is inspiring. Four friends with diverse career paths, who shared a passion for beer and business, whose kitchen table discussions into the small hours progressed to the formation of Hope Beer in 2015. Hope Beer has since gone from strength to strength and all beers are brewed, bottled, kegged, and now also canned at the brewery.

With a portfolio which includes a core range of five distinct beer styles, seasonals, and limited editions, the brewery has won several awards, including enterprise awards and an Alltech International Craft Brewery award, and it exports to Europe.

When the pandemic began, most businesses and business owners were plunged into a period of suspended operations and uncertainty, and the brewery was no exception. Co-founder and Managing Director Wim de Jongh explains, “We were massively relieved when we ended up being busy for most of 2020 as at the start of pandemic things were looking bad."

Responsiveness and flexibility were key to counter the challenges. As a result of the closure of the hospitality trade, demand was heavily tied to packaging formats - in particular, the small-pack

format. Wim continues, "We saw a fundamental shift in how people were consuming our beer and we had to adapt quickly. Prior to the pandemic up to 40 per cent of our output was kegged for the on-trade, 40 per cent was canned and the remaining 20 per cent was bottled, but when the hospitality sector closed canned beer made up 95 per cent of our packaged beer."

Hope originally used a contract canning service to can its beers, but in order to meet production deadlines needed to bring the canning in-house. The company decided to seize the opportunity and invest in a new canning line from Vigo Ltd which would give them greater control.

Said Wim: “'We have an excellent contract canning service from Bevcraft and that was perfect when can sales were modest. As can sales grew we needed more flexibility. With our can sales increasing the investment in the canning line was easily justified against the reduced cost per can.”

Wim was already familiar with ABE craft canning equipment because it was the equipment of choice used by the contract canners. “Our contract canners used ABE equipment and we were impressed with the equipment. We had also learned how to work the machine so that made for a short learning curve when we got the machine.”

Detail makes the difference with process automation sensors

Automation sensors and other specialist instrumentation used in the food and beverage industries are often required to deliver the tricky balance between reliability, product safety and affordability.

The latest process automation sensors available from BAUMER can certainly help engineers working in these industries strike the right balance, but what about the often over-looked consideration of long-term reliability and accuracy, especially over varying temperature conditions?

For example, does your pressure transmitter consistently provide the desired accuracy at 50ºC? Also

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considering that long-term drift will add further inaccuracies, what about sensor performance about 60 months from commissioning? Maybe it’s time to check the spec!

Baumer’s range of PFMH hygienic pressure transmitters are a good example of sensors which have been put to the test as a way of illustrating their reliability of performing satisfactorily over the long term. They were pitted against some other manufacturers’ equivalent products to compare the full-scale accuracy (nonlinearity, hysteresis, non-repeatability, zero-point and span) figures. The results indicated that the Baumer sensor retained its accuracy much better across

Wim approached Vigo Ltd, ABE's UK & Eire agents, to discuss the ABE range and the model which would be the best match for their production requirements.

Vigo recommended the CraftCan35 for its hourly capacity and future-proofing capabilities.

Wim continued: “Vigo were very easy to deal with and delivered on time and within the budgeted cost we had agreed.

“We were fortunate to be able to avail of government guaranteed loan schemes and support from our local enterprise office to help us fund the investment.”

For further information: www.vigoltd.com Tel: 01404 890262

the whole temperature range whereas others were almost +/- 3% accurate at only 50ºC.

Baumer’s PFMH fully welded pressure sensors with hygienic connection, touch-screen control and flush membrane are designed to meet 3-A sanitary standards (FDA-compliant) and EHEDG requirements.

For further information: www.baumer.com/gb/en/

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NEWS Production Equipment

Emergency service launched to tackle brewing system problems

A new fast response repair and rescue service has been launched to help independent brewers keep the beer flowing when equipment breaks down.

The Collective Motion Brewing Company is the brainchild of founder Dominic Smith, a mechanical engineer with experience in the production of brewing and packaging material, and electrical engineer Tomasz Lenartowicz, with a background as a lead designer of control systems.

Using sophisticated equipment, the company is offering a fast response service to brewers which will: identify the problem, find the offending part, replace the part, test the part. Based in Bradford, the company’s 1,000 sq ft workshop unit will operate as a repair and R&D centre. The company also plans to develop equipment such as pressure controllers or filling devices.

A core team will be backed by an extensive network of other freelance consultants including process engineers, software developers, brewers, asset managers, production

managers. Collective Motion will also use established links with West Yorkshire companies to source any help needed with the fabrication or manufacturing of spare parts.

Director Dominic Smith said: “With our passion for the brewing industry, we identified that a service is needed to help smaller brewers survive by servicing machinery to keep them in operation or repairing essential machines that break down. We also saw that brewers need help to buy good quality second-hand equipment from reputable sources.

“We are proposing that there will always be someone on the other side of the phone to help with spares, service, or a breakdown. We would also like to team up with brewers to engage with projects that cover packaging, brewing, energysaving and plug and play automation upgrades. We can help with the updating of their old equipment with more modern systems, for instance by the addition of small, automated controls such as temperature control units for the fermentation process.

“We are a team which hates waste. We love repairing and bringing old nonworking units back to life. For instance, we have recently purchased a nonrunner cask washer that was destined for a scrap yard. We sourced all the spare parts necessary to make it into a fully working unit and now it is up and running in a brewery in Bristol.”

The company also has a four vessel semi-automated brewhouse to offer as a testing facility for the brewers wishing to develop new products.

Dominic & Tomasz are pictured above

For further information: dominic@cmbrewery.co.uk

New brochures on bearings from Brammer Buck & Hickman and SKF

Brammer Buck & Hickman, the leading supplier of industrial maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) products and services, has released a range of valuable resources on bearings aimed specifically at engineers operating in the food and drink sector; these include a webinar, a dedicated website section, a product brochure, a guide to the challenges faced in this sector, and several case studies.

In the food and drink industry, bearings are faced with some of the most demanding environments to be found.

The choice of bearings therefore requires careful consideration. Brammer Buck & Hickman, which has extensive experience of working with some of the biggest names in the food and drink

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sector, has come together with bearings manufacturer SKF to produce a range of resources to assist food and drink producers improve the performance and service life of their bearings.

A recorded webinar, hosted by Brammer Buck & Hickman and presented by SKF, is available on YouTube on the RubixTube channel. In under 40 minutes, the webinar examines the key issues that impact on bearings in the food and drink sector, with a focus on reducing risk when it comes to food safety. It also identifies bearings that are best suited to this industry and includes a preview of the latest products and technologies due to be released.

For those that prefer to digest information in a different format, Brammer Buck & Hickman has

produced two new brochures. The first is a product brochure on SKF bearing solutions for the food and drink sector, which covers the Food Line Blue Range, Food Line Deep Groove ball bearings and SKF Fryer bearing technology. The second PDF is a guide: ‘Top 3 Challenges in the Food & Drink Sector…and how to ensure your bearings meet them’.

For further information: uk.rubix.com

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THE BREWER’S BEST FRIEND Our Portable Battery Operated Hygienic Flowmeter

The Collective Motion Brewing Company aims to help small brewers update ageing control equipment with modern, automated systems.

Accordingly, we have developed and manufactured this highly sophisticated Flowmeter.

Key features include: l hygienic l portable (battery operated) l will last 40h (operation time between charges) l can withstand elevated temperatures for a prolonged period (continues 90C)

l a fast flow rate (up to 150L/min) l an integrated reset button to reset the transferred value. l a hygienic connection (tri-clamp or RJT option)

This Flowmeter really is the brewer’s best friend and is offered at RRP £1,699.00.

The CMB team offers brewers highly effective repair and rescue solutions for spares, service, or breakdowns.

We will also team up with brewers for projects in packaging, brewing, energy-saving, and plug & play automation upgrades. Call us to discuss.

Contact: Collective Motion Brewing on 07857 347472 or email dominic@cmbrewery.co.uk

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NEWS Bar & Cellar

Rudd Macnamara adds resin tap handles to range

With the rising popularity of bespoke tap handles to boost the appeal of on bar branding, Rudd Macnamara has again added to its portfolio with exciting new products.

Indeed, tap handle branding is nothing new, but in the past where they have mostly been popular in the US, the vast majority of offerings here in the UK come from the Far East directly or indirectly via UK agents.

“Though we’ve offered simple wooden variants in the past it wasn’t something we were initially seeking to add to our range due to the foreign competition,” MD Chris Dickinson tells us. “As with all that is going on in the world with pandemics and the attack on Ukraine, businesses the whole world over are being crushed with supply chain issues, massive cost increases on materials and energy. These are really trying times.

“As with many industries we are seeing a huge re-shoring of buying, not least from raw materials but products and services too. Subsidiaries of large organisations have closed operations around the globe and are seeking a robust UK supply route.” Chris went on to say, “I have been to several seminars since restrictions have lifted across other industries we serve such as Automotive and Aerospace and they are all saying the same thing. I see the

brewing industry doing the same.”

During the lockdown period Rudd had the time to develop and hone its processes that have spanned three centuries, and make production more efficient across all areas of the business.

The company has looked closely at the ways in which it can make a slick, quality, low-cost tooled tap handle that is on a swift lead time to customers specification. This was married with numerous enquiries on the road to UK lifting restrictions for unique tap handles that brewers no longer wanted to wait for when the doors to the pubs were finally open.

What Rudd has come up with is in line with its resin filled pump clips. The outer profile can be anything your imagination wants and printed externally with your design to either your specification or with Rudd’s advice and input. The business has always had the flexibility to manufacture small and large batch sizes in short or ongoing repeat orders but with its new investment of a HP Latex R1000 Printer this further strengthens the company’s capacity for even swifter small batch runs and conversely even

larger quantities on time.

Situated in the heart of the UK, Rudd Macnamara has been manufacturing branded products for over 130 years and is proud to say its products are made in Britain. Serving the whole of the brewery sector regardless of size producing impactful bar branding, it is the flexibility to offer both large and small runs that really sets them apart.

Providing all sizes of beverage companies with the same high standards of quality across their range of services is something the company is immensely proud of.

For further information: www.beerbranding.co.uk enquiries@ruddmacnamara.com

RWC launches new website to enhance user experience across its family of brands

RWC, the leading push-fit solutions and water control valves manufacturer, has launched the first of a collection of new EMEA websites to unite its family of brands with a consistent and bold visual identity.

Reflecting the group’s corporate branding, while significantly enhancing user experience, the first website to be launched was home to RWC’s John Guest, JG Speedfit and JG Underfloor brands. And with John Guest being the push-fit pioneer in industries such as drinks dispense, the new website is set to be the ‘go to’ place for users from a diverse range of sectors.

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The company’s new and improved websites ecosystem is aimed at offering a much friendlier visual and functional experience.

products, this launch enables us to continue our company’s ethos of making lives easier and more efficient across our online presence.”

“The redesign offers a much clearer navigation, making it easier to find products and get quick access to detailed technical information, while the website’s enhanced responsiveness makes it particularly user-friendly to view on a mobile device. And just like our

For further information: www.johnguest.com

“We are excited to unite our family of brands under one collective identity, while adding a whole new range of functionalities for our web visitors at the same time,” said Marketing Director John Kerr.

Customers looking to specify or install John Guest, JG Speedfit and JG Underfloor products, will find the enhanced search capabilities of the new website helpful, while the improved resources centre will give access to useful content, such as detailed product listings, technical data sheets, installation videos, product guides, brochures and more.

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NEWS Branding & Marketing

How Augmented Reality is transforming the drinks industry

Augmented Reality is transforming the drinks industry and LemonTop Creative has embraced this technology, providing a greater interactive experience for its customers.

Augmented Reality (AR) is a technology we all have access to through digital devices like mobile phones and tablets, that lets people superimpose digital content (images, sounds, text) over a real-world environment.

AR is a great tool to enhance your brewery’s brand awareness to larger audiences. Mobile apps with AR functionality provide a unique brand experience to their users. The use of AR for retail marketing gives a lot of leverage for brewers and suppliers to find ingenious ways for interactions, creating a tunnel for instant feedback.

When you’re selling your beers and products online, AR allows you to provide an interactive and visual experience so that customers can have a more detailed picture of your products and brand while shopping, rather than just seeing a 2-dimensional image on an ecommerce site.

shoppers regularly use augmented reality and 73% of smartphone AR users are happy with their experiences with it. Augmented Reality statistics prove how the market has adopted the technology and is growing exponentially.

Says Andy Mogg, of LemonTop Creative: “We have always been a company that embraces new technology. In fact, it is one of our core values which meant we couldn’t resist AR. The real benefit of AR over VR certainly from a customer’s point of view is their investment is practically zero, as most people these days have a smartphone or tablet. Android and iOS both have built-in technology to have you experience AR in a few clicks.

“Our latest brochure is full of products to view using AR to make it both a tactile and virtual brochure, giving a truly interactive experience. Newly designed products can now be approved by our customers with full 360 degrees of interaction. You can place the product on the desk in front of you, have one 20 feet tall, and take photographs of them in real-world places such as offices, parks, and supermarket shelves, wherever you take your phone.

Planning for growth?

Recent studies show that 32% of

asks Myles Pinfold

The USA has been a bellwether for the craft brewing industry for over two decades, with the likes of Sierra Nevada, Brooklyn, Stone, Samuel Adams and many other famous names helping to pioneer the craft beer revolution that has made the industry what it is today.

Recently, the Brewers Association (the trade body for US craft brewers) gave an overview of the state of the sector at its annual conference and there are some interesting learnings for the UK, where insights are not so readily available.

Overall, annual production for craft in 2021 had bounced back to an all-time high and whilst the volume share for

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craft of the US beer market was over 13%, the value share was double that at almost 27%. This demonstrates a significant and continued growth in the added value category where brand premiumisation is key.

There are also predictors for how the sector is expanding, with over 9,000 US breweries in 2021 and still growing, however overall expansion is slowing and there is a trend towards the philosophy of ‘small is beautiful’.

Brewery taps and brewpubs are starting to dominate the market by volume and microbreweries are significantly outnumbering the regionals (bearing in mind that a regional brewery is probably the equivalent to a national in the UK).

There is also the threat that craft beer is

“Our customers also have products they wish to show to potential and existing clients around the world. The cost of shipping, especially in small quantities, can be expensive and time-consuming, so this is where AR can help. AR allows prototype products to be created and accessed anywhere in the world as soon it is ready, with no shipping needed.

“Augmented Reality E-Commerce will become a part of our everyday lives just as going to the shops and browsing products are today. If you would like to know more about how AR can benefit you and your business, we would be happy to discuss this with you.”

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

in danger of losing its crown, with other alcoholic beverages starting to take the lead by applying craft learnings of strong branding and innovation (although growth in ‘hard seltzers’ is slowing).

In my experience we have largely mirrored the craft beer trends in the US and the above statistics provide interesting insights for brewers in the UK who are planning for growth. The key learnings are that premiumisation is still in the ascendancy and whilst there is a growing prevalence of beer styles and innovation, brand trumps style. Could be a good time to review your brand plan and strategy…

Myles Pinfold is founder and strategic director of WPA Pinfold

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NEWS Business Services

Seven Bro7hers secures invoice finance facility from Cynergy

Seven Bro7hers, the fastgrowing, family-owned brewery based in Salford Manchester, has secured a quarter of million pounds funding line through Cynergy Business Finance.

Established in 2014, Seven Bro7hers brews a range of lagers, IPA’s and stouts and has recently launched a vegan range. Alongside brewing beers, the business has seven bars located throughout Manchester and Liverpool, including one at Manchester Airport’s newly refurbished Terminal 2.

Additionally, the brewing company supplies third party bars and wholesale businesses via major supermarkets.

Following Seven Bro7hers recent success, the business has received growing orders from major retailers and wholesalers which has seen its turnover double. With this increased turnover, the business has developed a requirement for additional working capital.

The funding from Cynergy Business Finance will enable Seven Bro7hers to supply larger customer contracts and purchase orders as well as allow the company to further invest in its plant and machinery as the brewery demand increases.

Seven Bro7hers, said: “Our business needed a factoring facility to ease the cashflow pressures that all businesses experience. Cynergy Bank was impressive from the very beginning and ensured we were kept abreast of every step of the onboarding process. I would certainly recommend considering Cynergy Bank for your business finance needs.”

James Yeomans, Introducer, JY Advisory, commented: “I have worked with Seven Bro7hers for several years, and when asked about potential working capital facilities I was very happy to pass them over to Cynergy Business Finance.

The team at Cynergy has a personal approach to each situation that is often

beneficial to fast growing and dynamic SMEs. I hope this is the start of a long working relationship for the two companies.”

Dan Burton, Executive Director, Cynergy Business Finance, stated: “We are very pleased to support Seven Bro7hers with this invoice finance facility which will support the company’s future growth plans and investment strategy. The business is family-owned and extremely well established and we look forward to supporting the company on the next stage of its journey.”

For further information: www.cynergybusinessfinance.co.uk

Bidnamic wins account for craft beer seller Keith McAvoy, CEO and Founder,

Leeds-based Bidnamic has been awarded the Google Shopping account of craft beer supplier and subscription service provider, Hoppily.

Using its machine learning and industry expertise, Bidnamic will work to optimise Hoppily’s over 2,300 SKUs in the UK market. In the crowded market the business operates in, this approach will see Hoppily placed in front of consumers through automatically adjusting bid values for each individual SKU on keyword searches - a task that is practically impossible for a human to do.

While Google’s own Smart Shopping can be used to manage Google Shopping bids, a lack of access to

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customer data can limit the growth they can achieve, leaving retailers with less insight on where to spend their marketing budgets. Prior to signing with Bidnamic, Hoppily did not use Google Shopping. Bidnamic’s unique machine learning approach to the platform will allow the company to access performance data and search terms, and growing sales through the platform.

Liam Patterson, Founder and CEO at Bidnamic said: “As a champion of the unusual and the underdog, Hoppily is right up our alley. The way they promote new and exciting breweries is incredible, and we couldn’t be happier to lend our services to their mission. Standing out in a crowded field can be difficult, but with access to the right data, we can create a strategy to help Hoppily grow.”

Mark Fenn, Co-founder at Hoppily said: “We’re very excited to be working with Bidnamic to manage our Google Shopping campaign. Our goal has always been to represent our brewery partners with the passion and integrity they deserve and to cost effectively reach our end customers online but we were finding it increasingly challenging to do this effectively in a crowded market.

“Bidnamic’s plan to help us fit perfectly with our overall mission, and will continue to help us serve our customers and share the stories and latest beers of these great breweries!”

For further information: www.facebook.com/hoppily

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NEWS Business Services

Cleantech startup ‘Greener’ finances further growth of sustainability matchmaking platform

A year on from the platform’s official launch, the sustainability startup Greener successfully closed its bridge round with £113,000 of venture capital funding.

As the team works to put sustainability at the core of every supply chain decision in the food and drink industry, the injection will be used to fuel the growth of the platform and reach more small business owners and sustainability innovators.

Founded with the goal of making sustainability affordable and accessible for all small businesses, the B2B matchmaking platform enables SMEs in the food and drink industry to easily build tailored supply chains by connecting those seeking and providing sustainable solutions.

Co-Founder and Chief of Science, Mehrnaz Tajmir, knows how revolutionary the product could be for businesses with more limited resources.

want to do more in this area, but in a challenging industry with razor-thin margins, sustainability can easily become an unaffordable luxury,” she said. “Those are the businesses we work for every day.”

The investors at SFC were drawn to that mission; “What motivated us to get involved with Greener is the inherent scalability and novel nature of the platform. The founding team has an ambitious vision, and this product has the potential to impact a huge number of businesses all around the world. We are excited to share our expertise and be part of this journey.”

SFC Capital is a leading early-stage investment firm providing capital and support to British startups. Recognised

by PitchBook Data as the UK’s most active VC, the team have supported more than 300 startups to date.

“The majority of small business owners

Since launching on Earth Day 2021, Greener has gained a foothold in over 15 countries and an average growth rate of 10% per week. “This funding is a statement of our ambition as a

With increasingly fickle consumers demanding new brands and flavours all the time, drink manufacturers are continuously looking to add to their product offerings.

So, both soft and alcoholic drink manufacturers and distributors are under growing pressure to optimise storage solutions to make the most of the people and space they have available.

Increasingly, this means deploying some form of automation.

The beverage industry is raising a glass to warehouse automation

As a result, across the beverage industry, SKU numbers have proliferated noticeably in recent years and this has left many manufacturers and distributors struggling to find the space needed to store growing ranges within their existing warehouses and distribution centres.

The need to make the most of every available square foot of storage capacity and move more inventory around the building with optimum efficiency has made the idea of automating key functions such as the transportation of loads and the retrieval and put-away of pallets within racking schemes, more and more attractive to beverage distributors and manufacturers alike.

So, introducing warehouse automation has become a multi-phased project and by applying a systematic approach to identify the most common intralogistics functions and aspects of the material flow process, systems can be designed that fit the user’s needs and drive productivity, efficiency and lower overall supply chain costs.

And, in a beverage warehouse where palletised loads of glass bottles are often handled, the risk to forklift operators and pedestrian personnel of serious injury from, for example, a dropped pallet of wine cases, is significant. Obviously any possibility of driver-error is removed by

company,” said Co-Founder and CEO Dan Yates. “We’ve proven that our tech is powerful, and that users are excited by what we’re building - more than 80% of them would recommend Greener to another business. Our job now is to prove that we can grow, and the whole team is energized to meet this challenge.”

Already Greener is investing in that future, bringing on expertise in marketing and business development as they build towards a record year of user sign-ups and a substantial seed round later in 2022.

Greener’s initial funding came in part from the Innovate UK Sustainable Innovation Fund who have continued to support the team through workshops, mentorship, and events. In 2021, the startup was admitted to the Green Tech Alliance and shortlisted in the Sustainability category of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards.

For further information: www.greener.io

the introduction of automation, such as driverless forklift technology.

Automated driverless forklift trucks follow the route around the warehouse that they have been programmed to follow, so the likelihood of an automated truck damaging either the warehouse building, the storage system within it or the load being carried is virtually zero.

AGV’s – such as Toyota’s Autopilot series – offer several benefits in addition to delivering lower labour costs, including reductions in product and building infrastructure damage.

For further information: www.toyota-forklifts.co.uk

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The View Through My Glass Bottom

Julian Grocock

Just whose side am I on?

I'm sure you know it's a familiar and well-trodden path – from enthusiastic customer to consumerist campaigner to industry professional – though my career résumé (and substantial ego) might try to claim I've taken it further than many. And it should also be quite obvious that the unifying driving force throughout this journey, certainly for most of us who've made the trip, is a shared passion for the product at its heart.

It had therefore never previously crossed my mind that the career move from one side of the bar to the other might necessitate a fundamental switch of allegiance. But my return to Liverpool in March – for the welcome revival of SIBA's BeerX – included a couple of 'lowlights', which highlighted the possibility of conflict across the broad spectrum of those who identify as beer champions. ~ There was, I admit, a thread of logic in the opening words of the chairman of one of the most grown-up (and biggest) offspring of the microbrewery revolution, when he spoke during the trade organisation's AGM. In other manufacturing fields, he argued, the provenance of local and artisan production commands a price premium. True enough, but he then postulated that the challenge for our industry was to secure the same profit-boosting outcome; which essentially meant let's find a way to increase the price per pint paid by the punters who are our biggest fans.

Should I agree with that, I wondered.

A few hours later I was faced with evidence, in a trendy dockside craft beer bar, that it's actually already happening. I guess you're aware that in such places it's not about pints, but 'schooners', and I was expecting to pay at least the standard pub price for just two-thirds of the traditional imperial measure. But I was totally unprepared and gobsmacked to discover that the cheapest draught on offer – an unfiltered and unfined keg pale ale – was being retailed at £5.60. £8.40 a pint.

If the majority of you aren't surprised by this – or even endorse it – then perhaps I really have been living a

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sheltered life and am now totally outof-touch with the modern market. The bar was certainly not short of customers, and really did seem to have become a hip destination for its target audience.

Except that for me any trip to Liverpool is incomplete without a pilgrimage to one of the greatest pubs in the country. And in the Roscoe Head that lunchtime I'd paid well under £4 for a beautifully kept pint of cask-conditioned bitter. Which is what leads me to these musings about a potential rift within the beer-loving community. ~ It used to be my job to strive for and emphasise unity across the British beer and pub industries, so as to strengthen and consolidate our political lobbying power – and that, I fear, might be what is now being lost.

Furthermore, the mission to build and demonstrate a commonality of interest embraced CAMRA and consumer values too. Do I have to accept that is no longer a realistic agenda?

I hesitate to point a finger at the elitist image propagated these days by the craft sector, but it's the only explanation I can suggest for the aspirational views and pricing described above. A depressing conclusion maybe, but one that was reinforced recently by my latest attendance at a SIBA beer competition. As always, I was honoured to be invited, and especially so when asked to be a lead judge for the newly introduced judging procedure – which worked very well indeed. But I was far less impressed with the 86-page Beer Judge Certification Program we were recommended to consult, containing

extensively detailed guidelines for every beer style you could possibly think of (and many you couldn't).

The clue is in the spelling: it's an American publication (although not without at least one British beer writer's input) and as such I really do believe it fails to grasp the foundations of our indigenous beer and pub culture. It turns beer-drinking into a snobby hobby, rather than an integral part of our way of life. ~ This is essentially a 'divorce' from any aspect of the trade that might be defined and consequently derided as commodity rather than craft. And that includes the traditional public house, its core of traditional customers, and the everyday traditional beers most of them drink as an accompaniment to – rather than the attention-demanding focus of – their social and leisure time.

For me – and for the friends I was drinking with (and discussing this with) last night – Great British Pubs and Great British Beer are inextricably connected, and ultimately mutually dependent.

And I hope that leaves no doubt about which side I'm on.

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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DRINKS INDUSTRY SUPPLIERS

Want to promote your business to the UK marketplace?

Then here’s what this magazine is all about!

We’re a quarterly ‘Product & Services’ platform for the UK drinks production industry So if your business has something to sell to UK brewers , distillers, and cider makers, you can publicise it within our pages.

Ask yourself, is there another UK drinks trade magazine that ticks all these boxes?

3Free subscription for a printed copy open to ALL UK brewers o 3Free subscription for a printed copy open to ALL UK distillers o 3Free subscription for a printed copy open to ALL UK cider makers o 3Circulation figures which are actually ABC audited & certified (not assumed or simply mailed to members) o 3Free editorial (no advertorials please!) o 3Right-hand-page, low-cost advertising, with additional discounts and benefits. o 3Online page-flip version with editorial live links to advertisers’ websites o 3Social media coverage of advertisers’ editorial at no additional cost o

To be included in the next issue please email chris@brewingbusiness.co.uk

The NEXT issue of

Showcase

Features in this issue...

Bar & Cellar

AUTUMN 2022 will be published on

31st August 2022

EDITORIAL DEADLINE : Monday 1st August

ADVERTISING ARTWORK: Monday 8th August

l Drinks fonts, taps, beer engines, pump clips & lens, and also bar runners, anything on the bar! l Promotional branded glassware for the retail market. l Back-bar equipment and services. l Cellar equipment and services, including stillaging and cooling.

Bottling & Canning Equipment

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.

PLUS our FOCUS feature on the UK DISTILLING market.

For more detailed information on all these features, visit brewingbusiness.co.uk/features-list/ 65

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Brewers/Distillers Benefits BFBi represents the supply chain into the beverage industry with Full Members ranging from barley and hop merchants through to process engineers, packaging, point of sale, etc.

Manufacturers, including brewers/distillers, may join as Associate Members.

As a “traditional” industry (in its best sense), where relationships between supplier and customer are recognised as adding value and ensuring sustainability, BFBi is well known as a facilitator of social and professional networking events.

ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP COST: £235 + VAT per annum

For more information about member benefits, please contact info@bfbi.org.uk

JUNE 2022

Tuesday 7th - Wednesday 8th BEVEXPO 2022 Manchester Central Thursday 16th MEMBER MEETING & TOUR OF TINY REBEL – 3pm Member Meeting / 5.30pm Tour Thursday 30th BFBi MIDLAND SECTION AFTERNOON TEA & TOUR OF CHURCHILL WAR ROOMS The House of Lords, London

SEPTEMBER 2022

Monday 12th - Friday 16th drinktec 2022 Munich, Germany Saturday 17th OKTOBERFEST Munich, Germany Monday 20th BFBi EASTERN SECTION BADMINTON TOURNAMENT Debenham Sports Centre, Suffolk

OCTOBER 2022

Tuesday 18th BFBi EASTERN SECTION INDOOR CRICKET Debenham Sports Centre, Suffolk Wednesday 19th BFBi MIDLAND SECTION GHETTO GOLF The Custard Factory, Birmingham Thursday 27th - Friday 28th SEABREW 2022 Bangkok, Thailand

NOVEMBER 2022

Friday 4th BFBi MIDLAND LUNCH Albert Hall, Nottingham Tuesday 8th BFBi EASTERN SECTION GREENE KING QUIZ EVENING The Brewery Tap, Bury St Edmunds

Brewing Food & Beverage Industry Suppliers’ Association 11 Side Strand • Pendeford Place • Pendeford Business Park • Wolverhampton WV9 5HD

Tel: +44 (0)1902 422303 • Fax: +44 (0)1902 795744• Email: info@bfbi.org.uk • Website: www.bfbi.org.uk OVER 100 YEARS SERVICE TO THE BREWING, FOOD & BEVERAGE INDUSTRY

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