Focus On - Meantime Brewery

Diversity is one of the Thames Gateway's strongest assets - industries based here range from construction to logistics and film production - but did you know that the area is also home to one of London's handful of breweries?  We set out to discover more about the Greenwich Meantime brand.

Alastair Hook is a busy man. Not only is he Managing Director for Meantime but he takes an active role in day to day brewing and when Gateway to London visited, he was busy pouring ingredients in to the day's mix.

While he set up the day's brewing, he explained that the brewery's founders, himself and UK owner of the Carharrt clothing brand, Ben Joseph, were local to Greenwich and this was the driving force behind its location. The site and its proximity to the Thames, with its historic trade connections and, of course, the line of zero longitude which runs through the borough, is now part of the Meantime brand and something which the company is fiercely proud of. It is also a useful marketing tool, as Alastair said; "we came up with the idea of referencing each outlet in the States by their longitude; it's just a quirky thing but makes us stand out a little more."

Being in Greenwich also means the company is close to both transport links and the centre of London, their key market - and since they have invested in a rather bright, pink LPG van, the company pays no Congestion Charge.

Meantime and its employees have also played a part in lobbying for change within the UK tax system.  Alistair explains the problems with the old rules; "because of licensing, the British pub industry is not a free market, which puts a premium on everything, especially the cost of locations, like pubs. The old duty was a flat rate based on alcoholic strength, with no system of differentiation between large or small brewers. Added to this you've got the fact that the price of the finished product often doesn't reflect the work that went in to it".  All in all, Alastair said, this meant that quality was not an area of competition within the UK brewing industry

So, when Gordon Brown announced a radical reform of beer duty in his June 2002 Budget, following a lengthy lobbying by the Society of Independent Brewers, Alastair certainly welcomed the move. "We wouldn't be here without the tax change and it's given Meantime over £100,000 per annum to reinvest in the business."

So, how does this, the largest and most expensive start-up brewery in London for over one hundred years, compete in a national and international market?

First and foremost, Meantime concentrates on producing a world class product. The beers, which have been produced on site in SE7 since 2000, have won numerous awards- in fact, at the 2004 World Beer Cup, theirs was the only British brewery to win any medals.

Second, Meantime is actively pursuing an export policy, with particular relationships being built in the US, where they are seeking to expand. Exports also currently go to Russia and Scandinavia, and the company is also investigating exports to Japan. Alastair explained some of the assistance Meantime has received; "In terms of support to break in to some of these foreign markets, the UK Trade & Investment Passport to Export scheme has been very helpful, giving us a £3,000 match funding grant which meant we could travel to the States and attend the Great American Beer Festival."

The third key element of success has been to build relationships with some of the food industry's big hitters. "Our relationship with Sainsbury's has been crucial, said Alastair. "Along with the change in duty, it's one of the reasons we are still here. They were looking for a supplier to their Taste the Difference range, and considered breweries in Germany and Belgium, but chose us, a local company, instead. We've also had great support from restaurateur Oliver Peyton, who was the first to put our beers on his menus."  Peyton is of course famed for his environmental credentials, in particular reducing ‘food miles' of produce in his restaurants, something which Alastair very much agrees with. In fact, so developed is Meantime's environmental awareness that their new delivery van was specifically chosen because it runs on LPG. Just to make it stand out that bit more, they painted it pink.

Finally, Meantime's strategic investments are also driving the company forward. Key among these was spending £600,000 on a new bottling line (£12,000 of which was provided by Manufacturing Link), which means they can diversify and bottle beers brewed by other companies, bringing in extra income. The brewery also manages an award winning pub, The Greenwich Union on Royal Hill, SE10. They are currently in discussion with a number of parties to open a second.

Meantime is also considering, in the long term, moving premises to allow for further expansion and of course, when the brewery is ready to move, Gateway to London will be there to offer assistance.

If you would like to be interviewed for our Focus On series, or know a company who would, contact us at info@gtlon.co.uk