Toast Brewing and Freedom Brewery have announced that they have formed a commercial relationship to support the continued growth of their beer brands.
Under a new licensing agreement, operational from 1st May, Freedom will exclusively brew and sell the Toast beers nationwide, with Toast retaining ownership of their brand.
The businesses will remain distinct, independent entities, but will work together to deliver the same range of beers, but with greater choice and availability, and an even stronger sustainable impact.
Toast has been brewing with surplus bakery bread since 2015, reinvigorating an ancient process to preserve grains through fermentation. By using leftover loaves to replace malted barley, not only do they make good use of the UK’s most commonly wasted food, but they also use less malt. That means less land, water, and energy is needed, leaving a smaller footprint on the planet.
Established in 1995, Freedom Brewery has spent nearly three decades honing its craft as a leading independent British Brewery, dedicated to sustainability and producing well-balanced, vegan beers. The brewery showcases this appreciation for remarkable quality and taste through its hero brand, Freedom Premium British Lager.
Freedom’s commitment to low-temperature fermentation and long maturation processes results in naturally carbonated, unpasteurised lagers that burst with delicate, refined flavours. They have their own water supply located beneath the brewery, and they recycle all waste water through a natural reed bed filtration system.
Toast beers have always been brewed in partnership with other breweries, making use of spare capacity in the industry. This has allowed the brand to establish and grow without capital outlay, while avoiding the environmental cost of setting up new facilities.
As the Toast business has expanded, winning national distribution with the likes of Waitrose, Co-op, and Ocado, the brand has needed to find a more permanent home to scale with certainty.
This new arrangement retains the essence of what makes Toast so special, while leveraging operational synergies. It will support each business to thrive together while continuing to grow their popular beer brands.
Operational and commercial efficiencies
Toast co-founders, Rob Wilson and Louisa Ziane, will continue to lead the beer brand. They will also continue to work on, and advocate for, wider adoption of the circular economy in the beer industry through entrepreneurial projects with Toast.
“We’re delighted to be working with Freedom Brewery to support the growth of the Toast brand,” said Rob. “Whilst it’s a challenging time for the brewing sector, with many businesses falling into administration or being bought into larger groups under value, our businesses are in a strong position.
“With rising costs and restrictive access to market, this partnership brings operational and commercial efficiencies that strengthen us both. Our shared belief in beer that does good has seen us work together before, and this new relationship will mean we can create even better beer and deliver more impact.”
Matt Willson, managing director Freedom Brewery, added: “I am extremely proud of the progress we have achieved at Freedom Brewery in recent years. Our brewery’s evolution is a testament to our commitment to quality, innovation, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. Through continued investment, we have created a modern independent brewery that stands as a paragon of enhanced capability and capacity.
“I look forward to the opportunity to spearhead the development of both Toast and Freedom, leveraging our respective strengths and skills, and sharing our collective knowledge and expertise in building beer brands.
“This is the first step towards what is building to be an exciting year at Freedom and we believe that the sky is the limit for us both as a result of this agreement.”
