The female founder of non-alcoholic brewing company Jump Ship is looking to raise the final £300,000 needed to open a new purpose-built 20 hectolitre brewery, allowing the company to quadruple the amount of the 0.5% ABV beer brewed. 

Managing director Sonja Mitchell - who left her job in marketing to set up Jump Ship in 2019 - is launching a Seedrs crowdfunding campaign to secure a new site in Rosemain Steadings, Midlothian. The funding will also see an additional three full time equivalent jobs created at the site this year, with the team set to expand by a further ten over the next three years.

The company, which is one of only a handful of female-owned breweries in the UK, has tripled turnover over the past two years to £111,000 through a combination of direct-to-consumer and wholesale trade. The new brew house will allow it to produce up to 800,000 litres a year.

A keen sailor, beer-lover and mother of three, Ms Mitchell said she decided to ‘jump ship’ from her previous career to discover if she could produce a world-class alcohol-free beer to avoid the horror of hangovers.

“The no and low category is a huge growth area and, as the only non-alcoholic brewing company brewing and headquartered in Scotland, this move is hugely exciting for us," she said.

"We’ve always put the quality of our beer first and focused on a growing range of thoughtfully brewed and balanced beers. This expansion will allow us to pursue new contracts with the multiples and expand our export markets - as well as continuing to develop our direct sales."

Initial funding targets to launch the business were reached in less than a week in 2019 via RBS Back Her Business. Ms Mitchell is seeking £300,000 in return for an equity stake in Jump Ship.

Diageo shares dive as growth slows in major market

 

Shares in Diageo were down more than six per cent this morning as the drinks giant reported sales growth had slowed in North America, its biggest market, with Scotch whisky in decline in the first half.

Diageo reported top-line sales growth of 9.4% to £9.4 billion in the six months ended December 31, which lifted operating profit to £3.2bn from £2.7bn. The company said it is now 36% bigger than it was before the pandemic.

Analysis: What is fuelling spate of bar openings in Glasgow?

Research disclosed by Savills recently offered a surprise take on the fortunes of the hospitality sector in Scotland’s biggest city.

And the findings made the case that there are more reasons to be cheerful than one might expect.

The research, reported exclusively in The Herald, found that 23 new outlets launched in Glasgow in 2022, making it the busiest year for new openings in the city for five years.

At a time when the hospitality industry is coming under severe pressure on so many fronts, it was certainly encouraging (if not surprising) to see so many business people willing to look beyond the current economic challenges and show faith in the long-term prospects of the sector and indeed the city. It also illustrated that the spirit of innovation is alive and well in the industry, with many of the entrants bringing new and different ideas to the table.

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