The North East brewers behind a unique club which is capitalising on the growing demand for craft beers and real ales are hoping to raise a glass to a raft of new backers who will help drive the next stage of its development.
Delavals Brewers has launched a fundraising campaign via the Investingzone.com crowdfunding platform to raise the £400,000 it requires to support its future plans for The National Trust Beer Club
The Club is a membership organisation through which beers from smaller regional brewers across the UK are sold, and was soft launched by Delavals 15 months ago as an extension of its partnership with the National Trust, where as an official licensee it had previously launched beers in collaboration with four North East National Trust properties.
To help them fund this first stage of the business’s development, Delavals worked with regional fund management firm NEL Fund Managers to secure a six-figure investment from the Finance For Business North East Growth Fund.
And now, new investors are being offered the opportunity to be part of Delavals’ future success via www.investingzone.com/pitch/278/delavals-brewers-ltd, for a minimum investment of as little as £10.
The new funding would primarily be used to support a wide-ranging marketing campaign for the Beer Club that would be aimed at increasing Club membership and maximising sales, but some would also be directed at operational and technological improvements.
John Gilfillan, managing director at Delavals Brewers, who runs the company with his brother David, says: “We’ve put some firm foundations in place for the Beer Club over the last year, and working with Investing Zone provides the right fundraising option for the point we’ve reached.
“Much of the new capital we’re looking for will be used to support extensive marketing activities which will help greatly extend the Beer Club brand’s visibility, but there would also be further operational improvements and investments in technology to be made if we’re successful.”
Jean Miller, CEO of Investingzone, adds: “We’re delighted to be offering investors the opportunity to back such an exciting project which offers the possibility of solid returns for patient investors in addition to the chance to indulge in a very enjoyable hobby.
“Investors who want to find out more can get the information they need on our site, and can even quiz the directors about their future plans.”
The Growth Fund investment allowed for the continued commercialisation of the business and the development of its warehouse facilities, with upgraded marketing activity, enhanced website functionality and improved logistical processes.
Since then, Beer Club products have gone into around 50 National Trust shops, a new range of 330ml bottles and gift packs has been launched, a Beer Club roadshow that has taken products to 27 different Trust properties across England, and membership vouchers are also available online and at 450 branches of WH Smith.
More than 200 beers produced by over 60 brewers from around the UK are currently available through the http://www.nationaltrustbeerclub.co.uk/ website, with further beers from additional breweries scheduled to follow as negotiations with potential new suppliers are finalised.
Several levels of Beer Club membership are available, with different products supplied at different times of the year to reflect seasonal tastes, the vast majority of which are award-winning beers from award-winning breweries to ensure the quality standard remains high.
Members of the Delavals team will be attending Europe’s largest gift fair at the Birmingham NEC this weekend, and discussions are also ongoing on how the Beer Club brand’s visibility might be further extended through new relationships with well-known brewing industry names.
John Gilfillan continues: “Taking the Beer Club products around the country brought a great reaction from both National Trust members and the property catering teams. We’re confident that we’ll see many new stockists being added to our list through 2015 as a result of this work.
“The NEL team has remained closely involved and very supportive over the last year, and we’ve already had significant interest from potential investors in being part of this fundraising round.”
Simon Johnson, senior investment executive at NEL Fund Managers, says: “Delavals has made impressive progress in developing the concept of The National Trust Beer Club over the last year, and we’re excited to see how their plans for the next stage of its evolution are realised.”