St Austell launches its own coffee brand: St Austell Brewery has become the latest company to enter the coffee market with its own Brewer and Bean brand, which will be available across its 25-strong managed estate in Cornwall and Devon next month. The brand is already available at six St Austell sites: St Austell Brewery Visitor Centre, Rashleigh Arms, Charlestown, Cornwall, Fort Inn, Central Inn and Great Western Hotel, all in Newquay, and The County Arms, Truro, Cornwall. The range includes five classic coffee options (machiatto, espresso, Americano, espresso dopio and flat white) and five speciality coffee options (cappuccino, café con hielo, bianco mocha, caffe latte and café mocha). Customers are also offered range of Tea Pig infusion teas, Fairtrade hot chocolates and traditional Cornish cream teas. The company reported that it is aiming to “provide high quality coffee to drink in or take away, as an alternative to the big name national coffee brands on the high street”. The first Brewer and Bean retail site will open during February half tem, located at The Old Custom House in Padstow with other sites planned for the coming months. The Brewer and Bean website states: “Brewer & Bean is our own exclusive brand, made using the finest Fairtrade coffee beans which are blended to our own recipe. Our exclusive blend of coffee is created from two varieties of fairly traded beans. The Robusta is from Uganda and the Arabica is from Guatamala, Honduras, Peru and Salvador. It then makes its way to Belgium to be roasted, blended and packed before being freshly ground to order by one of our baristas.” Nick Hemming, St Austell’s catering development manager, said: “Customers know that when they visit a St Austell Brewery pub they are guaranteed fantastic, locally brewed beers and now we want to offer the same assurance of quality with the hot beverages we sell.” The St Austell Brewery launch follows SA Brain’s successful move into the coffee shop market and a move by Fuller’s to open a coffee shop in Ealing later this year.
Hall & Woodhouse – tenanted division reports third consecutive year of profit growth: Dorset brewer and retailer Hall & Woodhouse has moved to correct a suggestion that its tenanted division is in “bad shape”. The suggestion was contained in an interview managing director Anthony Woodhouse gave to a regional business magazine – and referred, in fact, to the historic situation he faced when he joined the company five years ago. Hall & Woodhouse director Matt Kearsey said: “The impression that our Business Partnerships division ‘is not in good shape’ could not be further from the truth. The quote comes from the context of the situation we found ourselves in five years ago when we faced some significant challenges. Over the following two years we reshaped the business significantly ensuring that our focus was on improving our business partner’s profitability. I’m pleased to say that as we enter 2014 we are nearing the end of our third consecutive year of profit growth from our tenanted business with rents and business Partner profitability both in steady growth. We won the 2012 Publican Tenanted Pub Company award and 90% of our Business Partners are keen to renew their agreements with us. If that is ‘bad shape’ I will happily take it!”
Ossett Brewery Pub Company reports turnover and profit increase: Ossett Brewery Pub Company has reported turnover climbed 5% to £4,257,057 in the year to 31 March 2013, with pre-tax profit of £298,197, up from £89,442 the year before. The company stated: “(We) added one pub in the year, the Flower pot in Mirfield in December 2012. The company sees this type of arrangement as its main method of expansion in the current climate and is considering leases with larger pub companies and also individuals. Gross margin has been increased by 3% by improving waste management and making sure the pubs yields are better than ever. Labour costs are the main variable an rents have increased in line with the increase in leaseholds.”
