Scotland’s largest independent brewery, BrewDog, has today launched a share offer that seeks to open up investment opportunities to everyone and anyone, helping to gather mass support for its craft beer revolution in the process.
Date:
Wed, 13 Jul 2011
Source:
BrewDog
BrewDog:
Website
From today, BrewDog is making 10,000 shares available to buy in £95 packages from the company’s website, BrewDog.com, where potential investors can also download a comprehensive prospectus outlining the Fraserburgh-based firm's growth potential.
The FSA-accredited scheme is born from BrewDog’s desire to find another way to raise capital in an environment where banks have stopped lending, and to give fans a direct influence on how the business evolves.
BrewDog co-founder James Watt commented: "No significant change in modern history has happened without the support of the people.
"Equity for Punks arrives at a time when the masses are sceptical of banks, brokers and global mega corporations – when businesses growing rapidly are stalled by the banking crisis.
"It is an opportunity for everyone to show there is a different way; a better way. BrewDog has already shaken the foundations of the mass-market brewers peddling insipid, tasteless lagers – we are growing exponentially as they struggle to maintain market share.
"BrewDog is a modern-day rebellion, a long-overdue antidote against faceless corporate bureaucracy and the bland, soulless beer they industrially produce."
With Equity for Punks, BrewDog is pioneering a new generation of business model and investment opportunity that bypasses banks and brokers, and puts the success of a brand firmly in the hands of its biggest advocates.
According to BrewDog, no other business in the UK or Europe is offering equity in its business in the same way.
The maverick brewer has experienced record growth since its launch in 2007, seeing a 250% sales increase for the past two years running and, it claims, becoming Scotland’s largest independent brewery in the process.
The company now hires 65 staff and is on track to turnover of £6.5m in 2011. In response to its significant growth, industry icons Keith Greggor and Tony Foglio – the team behind the international brand Skyy Vodka – invested in BrewDog in 2009.
Drinks industry expert and entrepreneur Keith Greggor commented: "During our many years in beverage alcohol we have only seen a few game-changing players come in fresh to the industry, and BrewDog is one of them."
The company’s award-winning beers are stocked nationally in Tesco, Sainsbury’s, ASDA, Waitrose and Morrisons and BrewDog already exports to 27 international markets.
Having opened its first craft beer bar in Aberdeen last November, the company has since opened venues in Edinburgh and Glasgow, with a flagship bar in Camden, London due in September.
All of the bars have proved a big commercial success and the company plans to open five more before then end of 2012.
The rise of the "fanvestor" Equity for Punks is the only share sale in the UK to allow anybody to purchase part of a company via a simple ecommerce website.
The concept was devised to allow craft beer fans to steer the revolution themselves and help to shape a BrewDog operation that has more than doubled its monthly turnover in the past year.
Investors will be consulted on new products, new bar locations and perform an active role in building on the business's formidable growth. With every share, investors will also be given a lifetime 5% discount in BrewDog Bars and up to a 20% discount on BrewDog’s online shop.
Equity for Punks members will also be invited to attend the company's AGM at which investors work together to brew a special-edition beer, splitting all profits between them evenly.
Shares are available to buy now here.
Having raised £750,000 through a similar investment project in 2009, BrewDog now hopes to raise £2.2m through its Equity for Punks II scheme and the capital raised will provide a financial foundation for a planned carbon-neutral brewery in Aberdeen.
The revolutionary new brewery will use renewable energy and generate zero waste to ensure minimal impact on the environment. The building has already been designed by architects and will help the company to meet rising demand that already exceeds its current brewing capacity.
James Watt continued: "We want people to be as passionate about beer as we are so it seemed common sense to give them to opportunity to play a more direct role in the craft beer revolution."
The Equity for Punks video blog can be found at YouTube.com/BrewDogBeer.
Looking to source craft beers in Scotland? Use Scotland Food & Drink's Buyers' Guide.