Andy Agnew, has been appointed to the board of Inveralmond Brewery, the independent brewer of craft beers based in Perth. The former Scottish & Newcastle and Heineken executive brings with him over 40 years’ experience in the brewing industry and signals a change of pace for the 17 year old brewery.
Since the introduction of the Progressive Beer Duty, which gave tax breaks to brewers below a certain size, there has been an exponential growth in small brewers across the UK. Now there are more than 1000, higher than at any time since the 1940s, and around 80 more are expected to start up this year. Add to that a desire to eat local, seek out quality natural ingredients, and it’s never been a better time to be an independent brewer.
Fergus Clark, Managing Director of Inveralmond Brewery, commented, “We are delighted to welcome Andy to our board. He brings a wealth of experience into an organisation where we are fully committed to growth and development of our range of quality craft beers. His strategic knowledge and creativity will strengthen the business as we move forward in this developing market. ’
Employing 18 people, Inveralmond Brewery’s turnover hit £1.5m last year. Chairman of Inveralmond Brewery, Erik Ostman, stated, “We have extended our board to give us a balance of skills and experience that will enable us to drive sustainable and profitable growth for the business. The market is changing quickly, creating opportunities daily and we feel well-placed as an established producer of craft beers to take advantage of any opportunities ahead of us.”