Paramount Retail Group, who brought Saltaire Brewery in 2023, have acquired Black Sheep Brewery in Masham which had been on the verge of administration. This means that venture capitalists Keystone have exited the beer business.
Along with the Black Sheep Brewery, Purity Brewery in Warwickshire is also included in the deal and possibly North Brewing although it appears unclear if they are still brewing.
Then there are a range of brands that Keystone acquired in recent years including Magic Rock, Fourpure, Brew by Numbers, Brick.
Hofmeister which had a UK distribution deal with Keystone have switched to Heineken.
It means that 145 at risk jobs are safe and brewing will continue at Black Sheep and Purity.
It might be argued that the continuing issues and the failure of Keystone underline the crisis in the brewing and pub trade. No doubt that is true but a wider picture points to the difficulty that independent breweries- even those owned by smaller players in the market- struggle to get on bar tops in a trade dominated by the likes of ABInBev and Heineken
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