Witney's Wychwood Brewery heads down under...

Published by

Nicky Godding

Eight of the UK’s most innovative breweries will feature on the UK’s Department for International Trade’s Great Britain stand at Beervana in Wellington this weekend.

Joining Witney-based Wychwood brewery are Black Sheep Brewery, Theakston, Timothy Taylors, Shepherd Neame, Badger Beers, Greene King Brewery and Robinsons Brewery

Greene King Brewery and Shepherd Neame are members of the UK’s ‘Net Zero Now’ initiative launched in July 2021. This scheme is an industry protocol and certification standard which will help bars and pubs across Britain reach net-zero before the national legal deadline of 2050.

Britain’s oldest brewery, Shepherd Neame, founded in 1698 has repeatedly pioneered sustainable brewing methods. They recycle 97 per cent of the grain and hops used in the brewing process and their waste management was restructured so they could convert it into biofuel. In 2013 Shepherd Neame also invested in a £3 million water recovery plant which enabled them to reduce their water consumption by 40%.

British Consul General and Deputy Trade Commissioner Asia Pacific (Australia and New Zealand) Louise Cantillon said: "We are proud to be featuring 8 of the UK’s most innovative and sustainable breweries at Beervana 2021.

"Beer is one of the UK’s top 3 food and drink exports with over 1 billion pints exported every year. One of our ambitions for the UK-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement is to strengthen opportunities to export high-quality British food and drink products so they can be enjoyed by a wider New Zealand audience.

"Today UK breweries employ 870,000 people either directly or indirectly. Every job in brewing supports 18 employees in pubs, one employee in farming, one in the supply chain and one in retail."

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.