Unity Brewing Co., the UK craft brewery, has been resurrected after its brewing kit, assets and brand were purchased by two local businessmen.
The duo, who have not been named, purchased the assets after Southampton-based Unity Brewing Limited went into liquidation in February.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Four of the five original staff members have been retained following the deal. The brewery’s original founder, James Hatherley, is not involved in the new business in any official capacity.
Posting on social media, Unity Brewing Co. said the new ownership would be resurrecting the brewery’s original recipes and brand with a view to making the business economically viable.
The statement, attributed to the brewery’s operations manager Bolo Hooper, said: “It is fully the aim of the new ownership to continue what the original Unity brought to the south coast beer scene; fresh, balanced and above all approachable beer Southampton can be proud of.
“We will be using the same recipes, the same beers, and the same brand developed by James and other wonderful Unity alumni over the years. We will be brewing and bringing back all the favourites – especially Conflux. All with a view to making the brewery economically viable and secure for the future.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalData“We will do this whilst acknowledging the efforts of every person who has worked here since 2016 to make Unity what it is, what it was, and what it can be in the future.”
As a goodwill gesture, the new owners have committed to giving all Unity Brewing Co. investors from its 2018 crowdfund a 10% discount. Investors who previously had a 5% discount card will have their discount upped to 10%, they added.
Unity’s rescue comes at a turbulent time for the UK craft beer sector, with breweries struggling to cope with a cocktail of rising energy and raw material costs, as well as adverse trading conditions.
In the last week, south London’s Brew By Numbers and Brick Brewery, as well as Black Sheep Brewery in Yorkshire, have all signaled their intent to appoint administrators.
All three businesses continue to trade but will enter administration if a solution to their immediate financial woes is not found.
