Business profile: Bundobust
How can small brewers compete more effectively against ‘big beer’?
What are you proudest of since launching Bundobust?
“It is tough to be honest. How we work with a brewer like Northern Monk or any local brewery is that we've committed to buying X amount of beer with them, they have a permanent line, and they're happy because we are selling a lot of beer. And we want a reasonable price for that, so there has to be a price that works for everyone. The brewery needs to be happy with that price so they can make good margin. And we need to be happy with that price. So it works for everyone. Having a permanent line in bars and restaurants does help the brewery. And I think smaller breweries can be more nimble. A big brewer can’t do a collab beer with a local restaurant like a small brewer can, and it’s more exciting to have that on the bar than a mass produced lager. It just gives that restaurant or bar a bit of a point of difference.”
“A few moments really. I guess the big one was getting the Observer review with Jay Rayner. That was a big moment, and that's what put us on a different level. We always ran a pretty successful business but that changed everything, especially in Manchester, there were queues out the door every day when we got that review and that really helped put us on the map.
Are there any current trends in the food world that particularly excite you? “In terms of food, it's been a strange one as there's not been many openings in the last 18 months. I just like the way that everything's getting super regionalised. You'd have an Indian restaurant back in the day that covers the whole food of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Now you get regional Indian restaurants focusing on one cuisine, same with Italian food, where you'd have an Italian restaurant which was pretty much Italian food made for English people but now you can go somewhere that focuses on, say, Sicily, and it's just a bit more regionalised and a bit more authentic. People have travelled more over the last few years and people want to eat the real stuff and not the stuff that was always made for the English palate.”
We're making beer for ourselves. It's the most ambitious and biggest project we've ever done. Collaborating with breweries that I admire, that’s a big one as well. The brewery as a next chapter that is obviously a bit of a milestone for the business, that we're making beer for ourselves. And it's the most ambitious and biggest project we've ever done. Collaborating with breweries that I admire, that’s a big one as well.”
What’s the best piece of business advice you’ve ever been given? “I think to focus. What Bundobust does is street food and craft beer and we need to focus on making sure those elements are the best, not get distracted by cocktail lists or wine or doing loads of things.”
biggest restaurant we have. It is going to be the same vibe, same menu, similar beers. That's one thing we want to work on, consistency. So even though this has got a working brewery attached to it, it'll be the same experience. We've got ambitions to do more next year. So we're looking for sites over the next year really, it'd be awesome if we can squeeze one or two in next year. We really want to grow and it is a challenge growing without losing any of the vibe. I think we need to go national. We’d love to be in Newcastle, we’d love to hit the Midlands. And then Nottingham would be nice, Bristol is a great city, we’d love to go to London but we need to be 100% ready for that so it is about making sure we have everything in place – operations, culture, the right people. We're not rushing.”
What is your all-time favourite beer and food combo? “I like fish and chips with a fizzy lambic beer.”
Who do you most admire in the craft beer market at the moment and why? “In the UK I really like Newbarns, Donzoko, Braybrooke, Left Handed Giant, Lost and Grounded. And I’ve always admired The Kernel from day one, I like the fact that they’ve never changed or expanded too quickly, Evin [founder Evin O'Riordain] just makes beer that he loves to make and is a true artisan.”
What plans do you have for the business for the rest of 2021/22? “The brewery is launching next week, it's been delayed since May 2020. Essentially, it's going to be a normal Bundobust with a brewery on the side. It seats 150 people so it’s probably the www.siba.co.uk | SIBA Independent Brewer | Autumn 2021
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