An award-winning North Yorkshire brewery has gone up for sale only months after undergoing a relaunch.
The New Inn in Cropton is on the market for £7.5 million.
It offers a “unique opportunity to acquire a forward-thinking company with outstanding products fit for a global market,” according to the sales particulars.
The sale includes four businesses, all situated in Cropton near Pickering. The brewery itself is capable of producing 1,000 kegs of beer per week.
The coaching inn itself has 11-bedrooms, 150 covers, a big beer garden and a nine-acre campsite.
Also included in the deal are four other properties – three cottages and a barn conversion, with ten bedrooms between them.
Finally, there’s the beer distribution arm, which has direct sales to 5,000 pubs.
Located in Cropton, in the North Yorkshire Moors National Park, the Cropton Brewery has been producing award-winning ales since 1984, although the brewing traditions in the village date back more than 400 years.
Launched by brothers Paul and Phil Lee, it began by brewing Two Pints. Other famous beers from the brewery include Monkman’s Slaughter and Blackout. The combined businesses now have a turnover of about £12 million a year.
In July, the Ryedale Gazette & Herald revealed that, “after a short period of management by a separate entity the Lee family have once again taken the reins of the brewery that they founded in 1984”.
Under the new arrangement, Cropton Brewery was partnering with two other breweries – The Yorkshire Pudding Beer Brewery and Twisted Wheel Brew Co – under the same roof.
Anthony Barrett from Twisted Wheel became head brewer at Cropton. MD Phil Lee said: “We are confident that this partnership will create some truly exceptional beers that beer lovers in Yorkshire and beyond will enjoy.”
Sales particulars from agents National Business Sales say: “This fantastic opportunity is a ‘Sky is the Limit’ scenario, with products already for sale on supermarket shelves, throughout the UK pub chains.
“The additional land owned by our client could be developed further as the business continues to grow.”
However, it has been a tough time for the brewing industry, post Covid. According to The Drinks Business, the number of UK breweries which entered insolvency in 2023 grew by 82% in 2023, rising from 38 in 2022 to 69 by the end of December.
The trade paper said: “The expense of leasing brewing equipment, inflationary pressures on raw materials and the cost of production, as well as electricity prices and employee wage costs has created a perfect storm of issues that are putting smaller brewers out of business.
“In addition, consumers are moving away from purchasing more expensive craft brews as the impact of alcohol duty rises on higher ABV products and the cost of living crisis has hit pockets hard.”
To find out more, go to the National Business Sales website.