Southampton’s largest craft brewery and taproom, Unity Brewing Co, has closed after six and a half years.
Set up in 2016 by Southampton native Jimmy Hatherley, it expanded from its first site in Portswood to a three times larger premises in Northam in 2019. This was only months before the first Covid lockdown and its subsequent three years of enormous trading challenges.
“It is heartbreaking to have to close Unity,” said Jimmy. “Unfortunately, the terrible combination of Covid, Brexit, and the cost of living crisis have made it impossible for us to operate without making a loss every month.”
Unity has built a reputation as one of the UK’s highest quality breweries, selling nationwide and internationally, hosting its own beer festivals, and winning multiple awards for its beer.
Its flagship Conflux pale ale was named after the confluence of Southampton’s rivers Itchen and Test, and the business has always focused on promoting and supporting its hometown.
Unity’s closure is part of a wider trend in the independent brewing industry, with 82 breweries having closed in the last year amid insurmountable rising costs and cautious customer spending.
“Unity’s successes would have been impossible without our incredible team, loyal customers, and awesome collaborators, as well as our 300-strong community of investors who have shown such belief in Unity, and I want to thank them all,” said Jimmy.
“I am absolutely gutted to close the shutters on Unity for the last time, but I will always be so proud of everything we created together.”
The Unity Bottleshop and Tasting Room launched in November 2022 in Bedford Place and will now undergo a rebrand, continuing to operate as the city’s dedicated craft beer, natural wine, and no-/low-alcohol drinks retailer, with all staff retained. Unity shareholders with a discount card will be entitled to their shareholder discount on all purchases at the bottleshop ongoing.
Alongside this, Jimmy is starting the development of a new brewing project, with details to follow in the spring.
The bottleshop will host a ‘Farewell to Unity’ party on Saturday, 25th February, from noon to 10pm. All are welcome at to enjoy the final Unity beers.
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