Suffolk-based St Peter’s Brewery has cut the ribbon on a new state-of-the-art bottling line which, along with the acquisition of extra land, will allow it to quadruple production.
The expansion is down to the success of alcohol-free beer Without, which provided a huge sales boost and turned the Suffolk-based business back to profit.
Chief executive, Steve Magnall, said: “The success of Without has been beyond our expectations. We knew when we were developing it that the British drinks market was in dire need of a decent, flavoursome and full-bodied zero alcohol beer, but we never expected take up or demand to be so high. It is literally flying off the shelf.
“Without has, quite simply, turned the brewery around and taken us into profit in less than two years. With the new bottling line now up and running, capacity at the brewery can grow from 4 million bottles a year to 16 million to meet the growing demand for the product.
“With around 25% of British adults not drinking alcohol for lifestyle, health or religious reasons, as well as increased government pressure to reduce drink driving limits, there has never been a better time to produce alcohol-free beer.
“Our Without brand is sold in all the major supermarkets and is incredibly popular. There’s a huge demand for alcohol-free beer and because we got in there early, we are leading the way,”
