Utopian Brewing Select Vigo to build their new 35 Hectolitre Devon Brewery
Utopian Brewing Limited are pleased to announce that they have signed contracts with Honiton based Vigo Limited for the supply and installation of their new 35 Hectolitre brewery. The chosen configuration is based on a 3 vessel brew house with 12 fermentation and conditioning tanks and all associated equipment. The design has scope for the addition of further conditioning vessels in the future to support annual production of over 16,000 hectolitres. The brewhouse equipment is manufactured by Vigo’s US partner American Beer Equipment (ABE).
Richard Archer co-founder and Managing Director of Utopian commented “Working with the Vigo team has been a very enjoyable process to date and I am very much looking forward to working closely with them over the next few months, and on into the future, as we embark on this next crucial stage of our development”. The selection decision followed a detailed competitive tender process by the company, ably assisted by David and Rob Smith of Brewing Services.
The selection decision followed a detailed competitive tender process by the company, ably assisted by David and Rob Smith of Brewing Services. Richard Archer went on to say “The decision was not a straightforward one as we received a wide range of very strong responses, another positive sign of the strength of the independent craft brewing sector, with so many high-quality UK manufacturers and suppliers to choose from. In the end though we had to make a choice and the main factors that contributed to our selection were; the quality of the equipment, the long history of the company in beverage production, the flexibility and understanding demonstrated by the team and the quality of the reference visits during the selection process. Having the services and experience of David and Rob alongside me also proved to be a very valuable asset. As a Devon based brewery we are keen to use local suppliers wherever possible and so Vigo’s Devon base provided another bonus tick in the box.”
Vigo’s 34 years’ experience supplying production equipment to UK drink producers, enables the company to provide a comprehensive package, from initial planning through to project sign-off. Installation, commissioning and staff training is carried out by Vigo’s team of multi-skilled engineers. Ongoing technical support remains pivotal part of Vigo’s offering. Richard Charlton, Technical Sales Advisor at Vigo explained what the Utopian project means to Vigo:
“We are delighted to have been chosen to partner with Utopian on this exciting new project. When meeting with Richard originally, we immediately bought into his concept of a craft supplier of premium lager to the market. Utopian’s site is fantastic, and will allow them the space to expand as demand inevitably increases. Devon in particular, although having some top quality craft breweries, has very little of this scale so it’s great for the region to have Utopian choosing to locate here.
Utopian’s decision to work with us, from a very competitive group of equipment suppliers, further demonstrates our growing reputation as an established supplier of equipment to the craft market. We have now exceeded 20 installations of ABE equipment in UK craft breweries, and we are proud of our strong relationship with ABE. These projects, along with the feedback from our existing customers, continue to drive more enquiries our way. We very much look forward to working closely with Utopian, and will keep a keen interest in their future development.”
Utopian Brewing have recently launched its crowdfunding with crowdcube, to support the development of their new brewery site and enable anyone to own part of the company and share in its success. The public crowdfunding has passed 50% in its first 10 days with over 75 investors and more information can be found at www.crowdcube.com/utopianbrewing.