Crumbs Brewing, which creates beer from bread which would otherwise go to waste, has raised more than 90% of a £150,000 crowdfunding target before even going public.
The success is down to phenomenal support from existing customers, investors, and the local community in Reigate. The company is offering 6.97% equity.
“Bread is the second most wasted food of UK households,” said Morgan Arnell, self-styled chief crumber at Crumbs Brewing. “Food production is a significant contributor to climate change. So, food waste isn’t just wasteful, it is also harming our planet.
“That stat shocked my wife and I so much we decided to do something about it. We created Crumbs Brewing, a brand that turns unsold loaves from our local artisan bakery into a range of delicious beers.
“We built the business from scratch, starting locally, selling our beers alongside our baker at markets. Since then, we’ve grown to supply Waitrose and John Lewis nationally, as well as Southern Co-op, the National Trust, and a wide range of pubs, restaurants, hotels, and farm shops.
“We are passionate that the bread we use in our brews should mean something to the beer quality and flavour. Each beer is made with a single type of loaf, that way the beer reflects the bread that makes it.”
The campaign officially goes public next week, but anyone can access it now via this Seedrs link. “We’re up to 90% now which is amazing,” Morgan told Beer Today, “but are hoping to overfund so will still keep the public campaign going as long as it’s getting interest!”.
Currently, Crumbs takes leftover bread from a local brewery to create its beer. With crowdfunded expansion, the aim is to get more bakeries involved nationwide, and thus save more food waste.
