Best of British Beer, a Staffordshire business which started with a car boot full of beer bought from a local brewery, is on course for a £3.5 million turnover in 2025/26.

The Newcastle-under-Lyme based business is on a high growth trajectory and grew nett turnover by £900,000 between July 2022 and April 2024.

July 2022 was a significant month for the company as Directors Will and Gill Sherwin sold 51 percent of the business to its employees.

The married couple and business partners say it was the best move they could have made as it has freed them up to concentrate on business strategy and growth while the already highly motivated team have redoubled their efforts.

“We were a successful business but establishing an Employee Ownership Trust has fuelled accelerated growth. The effort from the team was always there but they are now fizzing with ideas to drive business forward,” said Gill.

Based on the Silverdale Business Park, Best of British Beer is an online beer retailer.  It was founded with the concept of championing the UK’s independent brewers and has since expanded to cover almost all beer and related gifts.

The company now has 12 full time staff, up from eight, in 2022, and these are supplemented with additional workers at the busiest time of the year.

At the time of the EOT, the business was valued at £1.3 million. Turnover increased to £1.7 million in 2023/24. And then to £2.4 million in 2024/25.  The warehouse has grown massively with Best of British Beer adding three mezzanine floors.

Will said: “We founded the business with five crates of beer from Lymestone Brewery. Since then, we have worked with 500 breweries, and we work with the two biggest UK gift distributors. On some days we are shipping out 50 pallets of beery goodies, so it’s a case of all hands-on deck to get orders out.”

The August school holidays signify a shift into a higher gear for Best of British Beer as they prepare for Christmas.

Will added: “We pride ourselves on our selection of Christmas products having worked with 25 different breweries to collate a brilliant mix of styles, strengths, colours, and flavours. Many of these bottles are done as collaborations and are exclusive to Best of British Beer. Some of the limited-edition beers include a Marshmallow stout, a Plum Porter and there’s even a blue beer!” We are planning a launch day for our full Christmas range in early October.

The establishment of an EOT saw eight employees being handed majority control of the business in a move which was then worth £650,000.

The owners still receive monthly pay packets as salaried employees but now benefit from a profit-sharing scheme. The new owners have a representative on the Board and there are regular Trust meetings with everyone getting a chance to have a say in forward planning.

At the time, Gill said: “Best of British Beer was already a strong business, but we benefited during lockdown as online ordering became ever more popular. We came through a very busy year thanks to the full support of our fantastic team.”

She explained that the Employee Ownership Trust offered job security and future proofed the business as new owners cannot come in and move the business away from its Newcastle-under-Lyme base if Will and Gill were ever inclined to sell or retire.

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For further information on Best of British Beer please go online to www.bestofbritishbeer.co.uk

For media enquiries contact Nigel Howle, Howle Communications, on 0776 2043436 email [email protected]