London brewer Anspach & Hobday has announced a crowdfunding campaign to expand its production capabilities.
Backing London Black, its new nitro porter, the brewer is aspiring to offer a consumer choice to rival Diageo’s Guinness in London and across the UK.
Since the launch of London Black, in May, Anspach & Hobday has landed 30 direct permanent lines and sold more than 450 kegs. That’s 13,500 litres, or more than 23,500 pints.
The brewery has partnered with James Clay and New Wave Beer for distribution across Britain. Due to the success of London Black, the decision has been taken to raise capital to meet demand.
The upgrades to the production hub in Croydon will include doubling batch volume and improving efficiency, as well as expanding production of London Black. To meet growing demand, the porter will also be available in small pack, with upgrades being made to the canning line. For local pubs wishing to stock London Black, Anspach & Hobday provides nitro line installations as part of its offering.
London Black is a creamy, smooth, and sessionable London Porter, poured from keg but smooth like cask. An easy-drinking dark beer, it has a tight creamy head that lasts all the way down the glass.
Inviting the wider investment community
The raise follows on from a successful 2018 campaign when 524 backers invested £525,250 into the brewery. “We delivered on our plans, expanded our production to a new site in Croydon, transferred from bottled to canned beer, renovated our Bermondsey site, and invested in a new lab-based role that oversees our quality control,” said a company spokesperson.
“These investments have enabled us to grow 31% year on year (2020/2021), despite the pandemic, with the company even reaching the milestone of £1,000,000 in turnover in the 12 months to October.”
Today marks the beginning of the public part of the raise, where the company invites the wider investment community to hear about its plans and the opportunity to invest. Anspach & Hobday begins the round with momentum, having already secured more than £390,000 of investment from its existing crowd.
Alongside equity, investors will also receive a variety of rewards depending on their contribution. Highlights include a 10% lifetime discount, dispense hire, and an exclusive meal at London’s English Restaurant featuring, London Black.
Brewery chairman and co-founder, Jack Hobday, says: “It was a triumph for our brewery to continue to grow throughout the pandemic. We are proud of our team and the success of the beers we brew, but it would have been all harder without the fantastic support of our crowdfunder base built in 2018.
“We are raising now to underpin that growth and capitalise on the opportunity that London Black offers. It is really exciting to be able to welcome more to join our company in this next step of our journey.”
Head of production and co-founder, Paul Anspach, added: “At the brewery, we are all incredibly excited about London Black. It’s a beer that we have thoroughly enjoyed developing, and the team couldn’t be prouder of the results.
“The beer represents a legitimate, independently brewed, craft alternative to the macro brand that dominates the sector, benefiting both the publican and customer alike. London Black is about choice. As a brewery, it enables us to answer a genuine need within the industry, and we have absolutely loved watching it gain traction.”
• Find out more about the crowdfunding campaign here.
