A Herefordshire based brewery has announced that it will close this Spring, with the COVID-19 pandemic having a huge impact on business.
The owners of Swan Brewery in Leominster shared the following update on their website:
After 6 fantastic years of brewing ales for pubs, clubs, festivals, the public and retailers, we have decided to call time on Swan Brewery in the Spring.
It has been a tough decision to make and something that we have deliberated and discussed long and hard over recent weeks.
COVID-19 has had a big impact on our business. In the first 12 months of the pandemic our brewing volumes were down by around a half. We recovered to a point in 2021 but then Omicron hit and, once again, adversely affected the pub trade at what should be one of their busiest times.
We’ve seen so many hardworking publicans having to experience the rollercoaster of the last two years at the front end. The majority of our beer is sold in pubs and, while we have added other ways of bringing beer to lips, trade has been, at best, erratic.
We have also seen really significant increases in the cost of raw materials, fuel, rent, energy and transport. Whilst we have somehow managed to keep in the black, we foresee it is unsustainable for us to carry on trading in such uncertain times.”
Having built up great relationships with landlords and ladies, drinkers, hop growers and local trades people, we’ll really miss that aspect of our business.
The team will continue to brew and deliver beer and run events through to the Spring and we’ll even launch a couple of new beers.
We remain committed to excellent ales and customer service to the end. We hope plenty of drinkers and publicans can join us at our 1st April Tasting Day with Swan Song 4.4% as our farewell brew and The Beefy Boys cooking up a storm.
We’re sorry to bring you this news. Please don’t be shy to come in to see us on any Friday, especially first Fridays, or give us a call. It’s you lot, drinkers, Frequent Flyers, Leominster dwellers and publicans that have made the Swan Brewery journey such a pleasure.
