A Kent brewery has agreed a deal to add the brands of collapsed Somerset beer company Wild Beer Co to its portfolio.
Ashford-based Curious Brewery, which was itself acquired by private equity firm Risk Capital Partners in 2021 as part of a carve out from wine business Chapel Down, said the agreement would double the size of its existing operation.
Wild Beer Co fell into administration in December after facing what it described as "adverse trading conditions", including the pandemic, rising inflation, the loss of export sales and spiralling production costs. The company was established in 2012 by friends Andrew Cooper and Brett Ellis, who also ran a taproom - Wild Beer - at Bristol's Wapping Wharf.
The administration deal is for Wild Beer Co’s beer, brands and intellectual property, which Curious has bought out of administration. It does not include the taproom in Bristol, but five people will transfer across to Curious Brewery under the agreement. It is not yet known what will happen to the company's Somerset brewery operation.
As part of the deal, Curious Brewery has said it intends to honour the subscriptions and regular discounts available to current members of Wild Beer Co’s Secret Cellar Club and previous shareholders.
Curious Brewery chair Mark Crowther said: “We are delighted to be collaborating with some of the original team from Wild Beer Co to maintain the original innovative and creative spirit of that business. Adding their delicious craft beers to our stable of award-winning premium brands, Wild Beer Co’s range fits perfectly alongside our existing portfolio, delivering a range of interesting and differentiated beers. “
Curious beers are brewed in Kent, where the business currently has a production capacity of five million pints per year. Its site in the county also includes a visitor centre, tap room and a 120-cover bar-restaurant.
“The Wild Beer Co acquisition brings a lot of positives including high-quality beers and distinctive brands, impressive distribution in both the on and off-trade, as well as a significant direct-to-consumer e-commerce operation," added Mr Crowther. "This new chapter for Wild Beer Co will bring some stability, placing the business on a sure footing. For Curious, this is an important step in our journey to become one of the UK’s leading brewers of specialist, premium beer and ciders.”
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