Work has commenced on Grimsby’s new brewery, which will transform the St Barnabas Church on King Edward Street, acquired last year by Axholme Brewing Company.

Local firms are now in situ, preparing the site for the arrival of new brewing equipment which has been ordered by the brewers and which is being fabricated by Willis European, for delivery in July.

Working with E-Factor, the brewer secured a grant of £54,000 from the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership’s £8m Growing The Humber programme, which is supported by the government’s Local Growth Fund. The scheme offers business investment grants to help grow small and medium enterprises in the Humber region.

Alongside asset finance and investment from one of the business owners, the funding brings the project’s total spend to £200,000.

Director, Will Douglas, said: “It’s awesome to see works begin on site and to see the first pictures of the new tanks being specially made for this building. We’re investing substantially in much bigger brewing kit than we have in Crowle because the demand for our beer has outstripped our ability to supply customers.

“The Humber LEP grant funding was vital because it unlocked bigger and more efficient equipment, which makes us more future proofed, and more environmentally sustainable.

 

Increased capacity

 

“We should be up and running in August. With our increased production capacity, we can build on the success of last year, create jobs in the area and lay the foundations for a bumper 2018/19.”

Axholme director, Shahram Shadan, who is project managing the brewery renovations in preparation for the arrival of the new equipment, added: “The inside and outside of the building will be unrecognisable when it opens later this year. We have gone back to the shell and will be giving it new specialist flooring, wall coverings, windows and ceilings.

“We are working exclusively with local firms, such as Coleman Plastering, Excell Electrical, Imperial Resin Flooring, Jay Blackburn Windows & Doors, and Birkdale Roller Shutters.”

Will praised local business hub E- Factor, which supported the brewery’s grant application, adding: “We need to say a big thank you to E- Factor at Enterprise Village in Grimsby. The brewery had offices in one of the units there for much of 2017 and it was the perfect incubator for us until we found the right premises for the new brewery.

“We had access to their excellent support staff, including Steve Parker, our business growth hub adviser. Steve has been instrumental in helping us take the grant application forward and achieve approval.”

Shahram said: “We are reaching the point where we can recruit. In the first instance, we will be seeking a driver and sales assistant.” Applications are welcomed to info@axholmebrewing.co.uk.”

Axholme brew kit

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The new brew kit, which is on order