Panhead crew on a wild ride
‘‘I’m just a bogan who loves hot rods.’’
And with those words, Panhead Custom Ales was born.
Self-proclaimed ‘‘bogan’’ Mike Neilson of Upper Hutt came up with that phrase during a brainstorming session on a name to carry the business.
He and Josh Drake, the general manager, were sitting around with a bunch of friends throwing ideas about.
When one asked what they, as people, were about, Neilson’s response provided the necessary inspiration.
And that’s how Panhead – a nickname for an old Harley-davidson motorbike engine – came to be.
Neilson and his wife Anna founded Panhead three years ago, selling everything they had and ‘‘putting it all on the line’’.
‘‘They took a really big leap,’’ Drake said.
‘‘I loaned them a car at the time, because they sold their family vehicle.’’
When the couple had enough money to kickstart the business, they bought a small 2000-litre brewery and two 1000-litre tanks.
This year they made the Deloitte Fast 50 index, placing fourth among the fastest-growing companies in the country. But it hasn’t all been plain sailing. Demand for their beer was almost immediate. Orders were coming in thick and fast and some big decisions had to be made.
So they expanded the office and ‘‘jammed more tanks’’ in, Drake said.
However, a year later, the business found itself in the same situation, so the office was bulldozed to make way for yet more tanks.
Last year, Panhead were forced to grow again – this time the brewery’s footprint was doubled at the former Dunlop Tyres factory in Upper Hutt.
‘‘And, at the moment, we are looking to double space again,’’ Drake said. ‘‘Things are just going really really crazy.‘‘
Within the first 18 months, Panhead had exceeded its three-year plan and its growth forecast – which was estimated at 20 per cent year-on-year – was pushing the 1000 per cent mark, he said.
‘‘So it just really took off ... I don’t know what the secret sauce is.
‘‘I think for drinkers it’s been easy to identify and the brand itself – the Panhead thing – there is nothing madeup there.
‘‘It is genuinely what we are about – we are still just pretty simple bogans from Upper Hutt. We still like fast cars, we like fast bikes.’’
Despite selling the business to international brewing giant Lion Group earlier this year, Drake and Neilson still have big plans.
They are building an on-site tasting room, and want to set up a concept bar – ideally in Wellington, but maybe Auckland. They also want to increase exports. ‘‘Mike just doesn’t believe in taking his foot off the pedal,’’ Drake said. ‘‘He really wants to go full throttle and get the beer out everywhere.’’