Craft beer range gets hopping

New investors back Sobah charity ethos

A GROWING Gold Coast company has just pulled off a delicious beer float – and it’s even better than it sounds.

Non-alcoholic craft beer company Sobah, with a private investment float under its belt, is increasing production, expanding its product line and lining up fresh leadership talent.

Aboriginal-owned, and with a tradition of using native indigenous products in its beer range, Sobah is the brainchild of Gamilaroi man Clinton Schultz, alongside wife Lozen.

Sobah’s range of nonalcoholic beers includes a Lemon Aspen Pilsner, Finger Lime Cerveza and Pepperberry IPA.

After making the Australian finals of HRH Duke of York’s Pitch@Palace contest for entrepreneurs the company is taking its next steps.

The company offloaded 16 per cent of its shares in a private sale, to several investors, bringing in around $160,000.

Mr Schultz said the new business partners shared his philosophy of supporting charity and giving back to the community.

“That was the biggest thing for us in seeking investment, ensuring that we’d be able to maintain the ethos of the business and attract people that agreed with that, particularly the social enterprise side,” he said.

“At the end of the day, the whole aim behind Sobah is far more important to us than individual aims.”

One of Sobah’s new investors hails from the Gold Coast but is currently working as a chief executive in Sydney. After selling their business, their intention is to move home, and Schultz is hopeful of them taking over Sobah’s general management to help drive the company forward.

“We’ve made sure that anyone who’s invested can bring something more than just their wallet,” Mr Schultz said.

“We wanted people with certain experiences.”

The changes to Sobah’s ownership structure are designed to help ensure the continued growth of a company which has already expanded from brewing 2000 litres to 30,000 litres of beer per batch.

Sobah is aiming to produce 1000 cartons a month, based on the turnover from their customer base, however they expect demand to surge once they begin exporting their products. They’ve had expressions of interest from as far afield as the UK, US, Japan, Philippines, and India.

Schultz has recently refined the recipes for Sobah’s three core range beers, including moving away from using malt extracts to an allgrain brew.

The core range is now being produced on a much larger scale at Tribe Brewing Partners in Goulburn, while small batches and pilot brews will continue to be produced at Pickled Pig Brewery in Tweed Heads.

The first new product to be added to the Sobah range will be a Davidson Plum Gluten Free Sour, expected to hit the market by spring, following frequent requests for gluten free beers or ciders.

The Pitch@Palace is returning to Australia next month, with the Gold Coast heat to be held at Bond University on July 19, ahead of the national final in Perth.