An independent brewery in Somerset which moved its operations online during the Covid pandemic has launched a Crowdfunding appeal to expand its business – and give loyal customers a host of rewards and regular access to its award-winning fresh beers at home.
Epic Beers became one of the first breweries in the country to offer nationwide delivery of fresh beers direct to customers’ doors during the pandemic, with the launch of its Beer Drive-Thru service. It is now asking customers and like-minded beer lovers to support a Crowdfunding appeal – with a mission to raise at least £100,000 to launch the UK’s first nationwide fresh ‘cask beer at home’ subscription service.
The much-loved brewery will deliver the service using a unique multi-beer box it has developed with its packaging partner, Smurfit Kappa, during the pandemic.
The brewery – which produces its popular beers from its base in Weston Super Mare – hopes the investment will enable it to become the country’s biggest direct retailer of truly fresh beer – and challenge multi-national companies churning out mass produced bottles and cans of bottles.
To thank customers for their support, a range of amazing rewards have been lined up, including exclusive discounts at the ‘Fork n Ale’ taproom, merchandise, tickets to Epic’s flagship beer and music festival, private parties an exclusive 20th anniversary edition of a Champion Bottled Beer of Britain – and a variety of gold standard fresh beers delivered to your door every month.
Epic Director, Dave Turner, said: “We’ve made awesome progress kicking off this Crowdfunder by thinking and acting differently to other breweries during these super-tough times and now with the help of our fabulous customers we can smash this!
“Covid hit us – and other breweries – hard, but by focusing on what we could do, rather than lament what we couldn’t, we’ve found ourselves at the beginning of a new, particularly awesome and exciting mission. During the Covid pandemic we had to adapt the way we work, and with the launch of Beer Drive-Thru we are now shipping our exceptional, cask conditioned beers across the country week after week.
“We want to launch the UK’s first nationwide fresh beer subscription service and to challenge the big boys by putting proper pints of beer back in the hands of those who love and appreciate the gold standard of truly fresh beer and to provide amazing variety and value-added extras.
“These will be a constantly changing variety of exquisitely crafted beers, lovingly cared for and carefully packaged before being delicately shipped direct to your door.”
Epic, which produces beers from two distinct ranges – Pitchfork and 3D Beers – has reinvested in the business despite the difficulties of the pandemic – launching a brand new website to promote its Beer Drive-Thru service, adopting a carefully defined digital marketing strategy, and investing in branding as well as the innovative and environmentally-friendly “Beer Festival Box” packaging – believed to be the world’s first bag in a box that can store three or four individual beers.
Money raised from the Crowdfunding appeal will be invested to expand the brewery’s operation even further and launch the nationwide fresh beer subscription service.
Cash will be used to:
- Increase fermenting capacity x3 for smaller batches to give customers even more variety
- Purchase a dedicated delivery van to service the first expansion in the local area
- Accelerate digital marketing to kick off the first stage of our three-year masterplan
- Upgrade storage and packaging facilities to provide even more care for your beers – and a better pint as a result
- Produce innovative ‘multi-beer bag-in-box’ packaging following our investment in its design and development
- Invest in website functionality to make the UK’s first cask conditioned beer subscription model a reality
- Invest in initial canned stock of specialist bottled beers – our second biggest seller
- Invest in a cloud based sales order processing system to ensure a smooth and efficient ordering service for customers
Mr Turner added: “Despite the difficulties the pandemic brought, we turned the problem into an amazing opportunity and then a new mission! Now, combining our passion for producing awesome beers, discerning beer lovers’ desire for a proper pint and the right technology to deliver all of this, what was initially created for us to survive means we can truly thrive.
“We think, and operate differently to other small breweries, and we’re passionate about even more people experiencing our flavoursome beers. This campaign means we’ll become the “go to” place for truly fresh beer, delivered to your door in perfect condition and tasting amazing – no matter where you are in the country. In exchange for the help to get there, beer lovers can get some truly awesome value rewards”
“Your support will make a big difference to a small brewery with a huge ambition.”
To support the Crowdfunding appeal visit https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/beerdrivethru.
