Purity brewery to expand into old farm barns in Warwickshire16th September 2013

Stratford-upon-Avon law firm Lodders is raising a glass of beer to expanding craft brewery Purity as a series of old barns continues to be transformed into working properties.

In an example of town and country coming together it has been advising Warwickshire farmer Granville Stevens, who hosts the Purity operation.

On Saturday, 14 September 14, a near £1.5 million new brewhouse was opened by Keith Bott, chairman of the Society of Independent Brewers.

Two new beers are set to be launched in the run up to Christmas and it is hoped work will begin this autumn to transform the old brewing building into 2,000 sq ft of shops, offices and a meeting room.

Lodders partner Alastair Frew has been handling the property legals and planning matters surrounding Purity’s expansion. The business is also advised by Sheldon Bosley on planning issues.

“Their advice has avoided plenty of headaches,” said Granville Stevens, who farms 400 acres at Upper Spernal Farm, near Great Alne.
Alastair Frew said: “The relationship is an excellent example of rural diversity.”

Established in 2005 by Jim Minkin and Paul Halsey, Purity produces brands such as Pure Gold, Pure UBU and Mad Goose for nearly 500 pubs in a 70-mile radius from Stafford to London and Cheltenham to Nottingham. Purity’s bottled beers are sold by supermarkets Waitrose, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Midlands Coop along with many independents.

Mr Halsey said: “We’ve experienced incredible growth and success despite it being a very competitive market. We needed to take the company to the next level so we’ve made a big investment with this expansion.”

Purity now occupies around 20,000 sq ft of premises. The new brewhouse will allow the business to produce up to 140,000 pints of beer every week, a 150 per cent increase in capacity.