Morgan and Elaine Arnell from Reigate-based Crumbs Brewing have been named as finalists in the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, in the sustainability entrepreneur of the year category.

Crumbs beer bread

Nearly half the bread made in the UK goes to waste. That stat shocked Elaine and Morgan so much they decided to do something about it. They created Crumbs Brewing, a brand that turns unsold loaves from a local artisan bakery in Surrey, Chalk Hills, into a range of beers.

They built the business from scratch, starting out selling alongside Chalk Hills at local markets. They now supply Waitrose, John Lewis, Southern Co-op, and the National Trust, as well as a wide range of pubs, restaurants, hotels, and farm shops.

The pair are passionate that the bread they use in their brews should mean something in terms of the beer’s quality and flavour. Each brew is made with a single type of loaf. That way, the beer reflects the bread that makes it. This has enabled Crumbs to grow by 50% every year, and rescue more than 30,000 loaves from being wasted.

Crumbs Brewing
Morgan and Elaine Arnell, founders of Crumbs Brewing

Morgan & Elaine are one of the shortlisted business leaders from across the nation to have been selected out of more than 5,300 entrants — the most the awards has ever had.

Morgan said: “It’s amazing to get recognised for such a prestigious award and be selected from so many entrants. We’re a small brand trying to do something good for the fight against food waste in a delicious way. It’s great that someone has noticed our effort!”

The award winner will be announced in 21st November.