Business profile We meet Theo Freyne from Deya Brewing

Deya Brewing

Deya Brewing is very much a family affair, with founder Theo Freyne joined at the helm by his parents Aidan and Reg [Regine]. Back in 2015 when the business was launched, Theo, fresh from completing his Masters in Brewing and Distilling, had a vision to bring American-style hoppy beers to Cheltenham, along with a taproom that would serve as a unique destination for the local community. The beers hit their mark, and alongside the stunning branding, which is created by inhouse artist Tom Hobson, Deya has expertly carved out its niche in the local market and beyond. Both the beers and the artwork are now synonymous with the brewery. And with a newly expanded taproom operation and a thriving webshop, Deya has weathered the challenges of the last 12 months and come out the other side with a healthy business on the cusp of further expansion. A new canning line and increased capacity are on the cards, but Theo is maintaining the razor-like focus on the hoppy styles he produces that is the essence of what Deya is all about. Caroline Nodder from Independent Brewer spoke to Theo at the start of June to find out more about his journey so far, some of the challenges he has faced, and his plans for the future…

Brewery Basics

Name: Deya Brewing Founded: 2015 Location: Cheltenham, Gloucestershire Owners: Theo, Aidan & Regine Freyne

Annual production:

10,000hl Brewing team: 12 Staff: 29

Core beers:

Steady Rolling Man (Pale Ale 5.2% ABV), Into the Haze (IPA 6.2% ABV) & Tappy Pils (Pilsner 4.4% ABV)

Production split (cask, keg & small pack):

60% keg, 40% can (pre-Covid) and target now 50/50

How did you come to launch Deya and how has the business developed since then?

“I started off as a home brewer and quickly developed the idea of starting a brewery. I did an undergraduate degree at Edinburgh University and then the following year I did the Masters in Brewing & Distilling, so I basically went straight from Uni, to the Masters course, to launching the brewery. I went to Heriot Watt in 2014 and did the Masters there. I got some internships at some different breweries after that, and then launched in 2015. Deya is very American brewery influenced, and focused on hoppy beers – so hoppy pales, hoppy IPAs. I did a three month internship at Odell Brewing in Colorado. So I had some firsthand insight into that and I'd done the Masters by then, so I had a decent technical background as well. I was very American influenced anyway and by spending time there that cemented my interest and that influence on me, and I felt I was ready to launch the company then.”

What is the ethos behind your beers?

“The key thing for us on launching was fresh beers. So we had short dates on the beers. It’s about freshness, clarity of flavour and aroma, so the beers are all very clean, very fresh. We make a lot of intense beers, but they should still be balanced and easy drinking even though obviously some of the hoppy beers are very, very intense styles. But there's a freshness and cleanliness, even though they're very intense styles.”

You have very striking branding, who comes up with the design and how important is it to your business?

“It's very much fundamental to what we do as a business. Tom Hobson is our artist, and he's a full time employee, so he’s our in-house artist and that's his full time job. I met Tom before launching the brewery. And since then we've worked together on everything. So I'll come up with the names and the sort of design concepts, but it's very much him, he leads it and he does all the designs. He's fundamental to our brewery and fundamental to the brand aesthetic. We've developed that together, but obviously, he's the artist. We had that from the start. We knew how important that was. I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted but then since then I've learned to let Tom really run with it and not stifle him in any way. Because then there is the creative sort of force behind it, even though I'm giving him the direction. He's brilliant. I mean, it's hard to understate how important he is to the business. In some ways, it's as important for it to stand out as it is to be good, if you know what I mean, obviously, you want it to be fantastic, and I do think his work is fantastic. But the fact that people recognise it as ours is really, really important to us.”

I think to stand out, you just have to have real clarity on what you're doing, what you're about, and then let the customer know in a very clear and concise way so that there can't be any confusion.

How do you stand out in an increasingly crowded market?

“I think for us, we are known for what we do. So we're known for juicy, hoppy styles. And it's very clear what we're about. For our consumer, there's no confusion about what we do and what we're about. We're known for hoppy beers. We're known for the big bold cans and our 500ml cans. We just try to make it as clear and simple for people to understand exactly what we're about, and what we do. I think to stand out, you just have to have real clarity on what you're doing, what you're about, and then let the customer know in a very clear and concise way so that there can't be any confusion. I think it certainly is an increasingly crowded market. So I do think standing for something is really important. If you're known for hoppy beers, or you’re known for pilsners, or you're known for mixed fermentation beers, it really gives the customer something to latch on to. I think that's the key from my experience.”

Continued on page 27

How have the events of the last year affected your business?

"So we had a weird situation where we'd actually just expanded and moved into new space. The pandemic hit as we got into the new space, so we had a lot of potential production volume. But obviously overnight we went from 60% keg to 0% keg. We already had a very strong online audience. So we were in a very fortunate position where we could roll that out, and retail a lot of our volume online, and then through bottle shops and stuff like that. The whole business changed. It was very challenging. But ultimately, we were fortunate to be in a strong financial position, or strong business position, where we had that captive audience online. And we could just switch to that. But that's not withstanding the sort of challenges that we faced on many levels. It's been odd, very hard and very challenging. But we do feel very fortunate that we had that route to market there that we could focus on. Because of the volumes we then had to package we did have to change our canning line, which was quite difficult during a pandemic. Our previous canning line, the throughput was not sufficient enough for the volumes we were doing. So there were logistical challenges like that. It's just been a really odd, odd year, but we've survived. We managed to move most of our volume into packaged to be honest. We wouldn't have been much down on where we would have been under normal circumstances - maybe like 80%. But the thing for us now is getting the structures in place here to allow us to increase capacity because we've got the brew kit and we're sort of at capacity now. We've just ordered more fermentation vessels, but it's more about getting the structures in place here and staffing and things like that would be more what’s holding us back production wise than demand.”

It was very obvious that, during the pandemic, people were extremely supportive of small breweries, which is pretty heartening.

Longer term how do you think the pandemic will affect the small brewing community in the UK overall?

“It's so multifaceted. I think for us, individually, and hopefully not selfishly, we're in a strong position to kick on. We didn't open our taproom last year, we didn't think it was the right thing to do. So we've opened it this year, and that's obviously been really positive. I think the staffing issues in the industry at the moment are obviously significant. A lot of people are having issues getting staff, and the hospitality industry is not very well supported by the government or local councils, etc. So I think it's difficult. Some people are really, really struggling and some people are able to thrive in this situation. It's very multifaceted and very difficult to give a straight answer on it. I guess that the industry won't be the same ever again, but I hope it can get into a really strong position again, or maybe where it wasn't strong before maybe this will prompt the industry to change. Maybe for the better. It was very obvious that, during the pandemic, people were extremely supportive of small breweries, which is pretty heartening. Even when people are suffering and struggling, there's still that good sentiment and goodwill there. So I think that's a massive positive and I think craft beer is lucky to have such a strong brand following from loads of people and that loads people are interested in craft beer. So it's now the responsibility of the industry and the breweries to make good on that and really cement that.”

Are there any positives you have taken from your experience over the last year?

“Absolutely, there are loads. Obviously online sales were very strong, which is great for us as a business, although we sort of knew that beforehand. The pandemic created a sort of false economy, so to speak, that allowed for that to really thrive. We've always focussed on direct to consumer sales, through the taproom and online, so that was always our model. The market forces of the pandemic allowed for that to come into effect. So we actually saw what it was like to have the model that we wanted from the start. But it was short term. So now, we're back out in all the bottle shops - we were in the bottle shops during the pandemic, but we can really facilitate those bottle shops now. We don't plan to go into the supermarkets. Our plan is to service those independents and our taproom and grow our volume but keep the structure we have now in terms of our sales distribution.”

What key challenges are you facing right now as an independent brewery in the UK market?

“There are lots of challenges. We re-opened the taproom, which has been fantastic. But obviously it's still under restrictions. We had never opened it under Covid restrictions before so that was a massive challenge for us getting it off the ground. We didn’t open it before because I think fundamentally it just didn’t feel right to open the space. We're a production facility and we had to sort of protect that – our main business is making beers and canning beers and sending them out to trade. And that's what we had to protect. It just didn't feel safe, having people on site, when our taproom is basically in the middle of the brewery. And then also there was the safety of our staff. We just weren't ready to do it. But then this year, obviously, we were chomping at the bit to get going because we had kept on all the taproom staff - our taproom manager and assistant managers were helping out in the warehouse and packing boxes during the pandemic. But we were ready to go this year. We're also a growing business. So there are inherent challenges the whole time, in terms of growing and retaining what we're about as a company, and growing in the right way. My challenge is making sure we're growing in a way that is in keeping with what we are as a company. Then the market is changing quite a lot as well. You know, if we go into another lockdown, our whole production schedule would change. So it's about trying to have stability, but then also be flexible. And that can change as you get bigger. I think that is one of the benefits of being small, that you can change so quickly. So you need to be organised, you need to have your schedule set out, you need to have your supplies in order, etc, etc. You can't just do things on a whim. You need to get the right balance between being organised and structured, but then also having that flexibility.”

Continued on page 29

Has Brexit affected your business?

“We do a bit of export, but export has never been that big for us. Last year I think export was about 4% of our business. A fair amount of that has been for events, so when we get invited to festivals in Europe, we'll send beers abroad for those events. We held off on exporting for the first few months after Brexit to try and let things die down. But we've noticed quite a lot of different things. Either goods coming in which have been delayed or pallets going abroad which have been delayed. And I know, speaking to other breweries who rely more on export, that they've really suffered because of Brexit. So there’s no doubt Brexit has had a negative effect on our business. I think it's probably the same for pretty much every business.”

How do you see the retail side of your business developing?

“We've always had a taproom, our on-site retail arm. And then outside of that, that's our only physical space, then we have the webshop and then it’s into bottle shops and pubs and independents. It's not in the immediate future to have any more retail sites, we very much see ourselves as a production space. But we will not rule out adding to our potential direct to consumer model - just not in the immediate future, certainly we won’t be opening one in the next 18 months, that's for sure. We open the taproom Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and we have just moved into Wednesdays as well. It's a big space. Probably inside around 1,500 square foot, and we've got a lot of outside space as well. We run tap takeovers, events, loads of different stuff - it's a really busy space.”

How are you as a business reacting to the recent outpouring of stories about sexism and misogynism in the craft brewing sector?

“It's been really shocking seeing everything, and almost more shocking that some of it is not that surprising. I think there are a lot of issues, and it runs very deep and it's a massive point of introspection for the industry. I think for us as a company, you know, we're a small company, but we're growing, and we are really looking inwards at how we can improve what we're about as a company. My Mum [Reg Freyne] is our director and head of HR. And she's got a serious job on her hands to make sure that we really set the right culture here, where we're inclusive to everyone and really make it part of our company culture, and our sort of value ethos, that we are practising what we preach. It's not good enough just to be good people. You’ve actually got to be proactive, and it's been a huge part of the conversations we've been having in the company in the last few months. It's scary. And it's very worrying. And we want to be an excellent company in lots of different ways, and certainly company culture and values, and who we are, is a massive part of that. When you're a growing company, it's not an excuse, but there can be oversights. We don't want to make those mistakes, so we're trying to be proactive to make sure we don't make those mistakes. The key thing here is that I am the owner of the company. So I might think everyone is fine, but there's someone in the warehouse or someone in packaging. Do we have the right structure in place so that if they do have issues, they can address those issues, and we can address those issues? We're also getting third party advice on how we can improve and get better. We've got 29 employees. Two or three years ago, we were probably 12 employees, we’ve grown massively. So it's a family company, and the family ethos is there, but we have to be so clear, and structured about how that is put across to the employees. And it is going to take a lot of work from us. It's exciting as well to have our eyes opened to how worrying some of their fears can really be. So my Mum is very much leading that for us, which is pretty good, because you've got a director who's a woman, and is very proactive about staff welfare, etc. And there are people within the brewery who have come to me and said, you know, we should do this, or do that. People within the company are actively engaged in it. It is a moment of real introspection and no one's perfect, right? We're learning. We're learning the best way forward and we're trying to be the best company we can be.”

Continued on page 31

How important is sustainability to your business?

“Massively important, and we've gone pretty deep on sustainability. Last year, we had a full carbon audit done on the whole company. We're now off-setting our whole CO2 output – we’ve invested in peat restoration projects local to the brewery. We've made a host of different changes to how we do stuff to become more sustainable. We put details on our cans with a QR code that takes you to the sustainability page on our website. So for our core beers you know exactly how CO2 it took to create that beer. We track our carbon emissions each month with a portal that we have which measures sustainability, we have someone in the company who's responsible for our sustainability. So for a small company, we've done a lot. We take it seriously. But we can always get better. We can always improve what we do. We went all in on it. But I think that's the only way of doing it. In terms of materials, too, we've changed a lot. All our clothing now is sustainable material. Plastics, we've decreased the amount of plastics we’re using, and if we can change for an alternative option which is more sustainable, then we'll do that. We have monthly sustainability newsletters and discussions about our recycling streams and how we can get better. We've allowed our customers to buy in to that as well. We offer on our website and through our taproom that you can offset your can of beer for 1p per can. We pay around £20k 20 a year in carbon credits to offset our production and we allow customers to buy into that not only emotionally but they can buy in to it also financially. There's so much more we can do. But it's a good start.”

How does Deya contribute to its local community?

“I think we do a lot. The taproom here is very community facing, it's a massive space that people can enjoy. Recently, we did a beer with Cheltenham Town Football Club, which has been really fun to do. We're have raised money in the past for a local charity called National Star, a college for people with disabilities and learning disabilities. And we have a member of the college that comes in every Wednesday and is starting to work here. So that's pretty exciting for us to facilitate that. I think we have created a community hub here, and then we're interested in helping and supporting local companies and local businesses.”

Are there any current trends in the beer world that particularly excite you?

“I think some of the newer UK breweries who are just nailing classic styles are really exciting. Traditional styles - good lagers and good English style beers. I'm not as excited about the pastry stouts and the fruited sours as I am about just well-made continental style lagers or best bitters or whatever it is. I get more excited about the traditional styles of beer.”

What are you proudest of during your time at Deya?

“I think the culture that we've created in the company and what we have provided to our local market in terms of our taproom and something that Cheltenham can be proud of. There were other brewers in the local market, but no one was doing what we're doing. So no one was doing keg beer. No one was doing cans. No one was doing hoppy beers. No one was doing the taproom model. We are near enough to Bristol, which has breweries that were doing that. But we provided that taproom fresh beers in cans and kegs, hoppy beers - we provided that to our local market when I wasn't there. I'm very proud of that.”

What plans do you have for the business for the rest of 2021/22?

“We're looking to purchase a new canning line, which will be a significant investment. We're working out the best time to financially commit to that, so we're looking to put in a rotary canning line at some point in the next 12 months. We think on the site that we are on now we can get up to 20,000hl. So we can essentially double in size, but we plan to do that over a number of years.”

What is your all-time favourite beer?

“I think as a purely drinking beer it would have to be Augustiner Helles.”

Who do you most admire in the craft beer market at the moment and why?

“Newbarns, Beat Brewery, Boxcar, and Saint Mars of the Desert as well. They're just doing stuff in a niche in their own way. It's just very well thought out and they are very technical brewers and they really know what they're doing – they’re not simplifying things. They're very clear on what they're about, and they're making fantastic beer. They're not trying to be attention grabbing. They're just making really, really good stuff.”