Businesses within Worcestershire have the opportunity to scale and grow through a range of support packages. One business that has recently benefited from joining one of the many support programmes offered to local businesses, is the family-owned business Copper Beech Brewery. The Kidderminster-based company which started trading in 2019 has been experiencing steady organic growth since 2020. During this time their customer base has shifted from 90% B2C clients to 50% B2B, meeting the increasing demand for draft craft beer both locally and nationally.
Presented with growth and investment opportunities, the brewery took advantage of one such programme which offers a mix of one-to-one specialist consultancy and peer group work as well as a grant to help them build a strategic growth plan for the future.
Dan Lawson, Founder of Copper Beech said, ‘The programme came at the perfect time, we were at a crossroads and had two investment routes we could go down. We needed to take our business from a family-owned business to one with the ability to grow without limits. Through the support on offer I was able to talk to other businesses facing the same issues and the conversations that took place helped me make the decision to move the business to Worcester to enable us to expand. As a result, we are now in the position to grow our business by 9 times the capacity.’
Alongside the move to premises in the Tything in Worcester this September Copper Beech Brewery plans to utilise the Elevate grant to acquire three new tanks, with a total capacity of 3600L.
The planned expansion will also enable collaboration with local businesses and attract new investors, bringing in vital skills and expertise. With a current revenue of 84k per year, Dan envisions that with the move and additional capacity, the business has the potential to grow to 500k a year. The new premises are within walking distance from Worcestershire Forgate Street Train Station and eclectic music venues and independent restaurants in the Arches.
The Brewery prides itself on being a truly ‘Made in Worcestershire’ brand expertly crafted by local designer Ed Stokes of Made by Being, known for his work with other major brands. Worcestershire is rapidly becoming a creative hub for investment and independent businesses.
With a thriving visitor economy and growing investment, our rail network in Worcestershire is easily accessible from major cities such as London, Manchester and Bristol in as little as 1 hour and 30 minutes by car. There are regular fast services direct from London Paddington and the county is only a stone’s throw away from Birmingham city centre. Making Worcestershire the perfect destination to live, work and invest!
