‘I’M LIKE A MILKMAN...BUT WITH BEER’
HOW BREWERS ARE TRYING TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE DURING LOCKDOWN:
IT’S a hot May day, the perfect opportunity for a pint.
A bright red van pulls up and the back doors open – inside the vehicle it is crammed full of bottles, kegs and cans.
The beer, which is produced and delivered by Neil Randle of Bang-On Brewery in Bridgend, would usually be flowing from pub taps on a day like today.
However, like everybody else, the brewing industry has seen rapid change due to the coronavirus lockdown.
“We lost everything overnight,” said Neil, reflecting on the situation.
“We thought, ‘Jesus, what are we going to do?’”
Like breweries across the country, Bang-On relies largely on trade with pubs, bars and restaurants for its income. As soon as the coronavirus lockdown came into force in March,
Neil and others like him needed to think on their feet.
“Within 20 minutes of Boris announcing that the country was in lockdown, our first advert had gone up and we were delivering the next morning,” said Neil.
Bang-On Brewery suddenly found itself taking bottles of beer originally intended for pubs and delivering them to the doorsteps of people across Bridgend and Cardiff.
Two months later, Neil is still making deliveries nearly every day of the week – a job he described as being “like a milkman, but with beer”.
While brewers may have found a new market in direct sales to customers, the loss of their regular trade has left a big hole.
“Around about this time of year, Cardiff University would be buying thousands of bottles of beer off me for their graduation,” said Neil, discussing the situation for Bang-On.
“In the old world, you’d get one order that was worth a couple of thousand pounds. Whereas in this world, you’re picking up the phone 30 times a day for 30 quid here or 40 quid there.”
Neil, with his distinctive red van and ‘I love beer’ T-shirt, describes how personally delivering to people throughout lockdown and being able to chat with them has been incredibly rewarding for him.
“I can’t complain one iota, because there are some poor people out there who have lost everything. I’m just happy and grateful that we are able to trade. And when I say grateful, I’m so grateful to all of the customers who have bought off of us because they’ve kept us afloat.”
As well as support from local customers, producers have also found a sense of community among other small businesses. For example, Neil has been working with other local companies, such as Chili of the Valley in Merthyr, and delivering produce for them.
“The upside of online is that you’re increasing your catchment,” said Neil, putting on gloves for his first delivery of the day in Cardiff.
“With online, I could do more orders than I could deliver. That way I can get deliveries to anywhere in the UK.”
Lifting a beer keg from the back of the van, ready to leave on the first doorstep of many that evening, he reflects on business as it currently stands: “We’ve just got to do what we’ve got to do, and we’re keeping our heads above the water.”
And he isn’t the only one. Breweries and cider producers across Wales have turned to handdelivering their produce throughout the local community.
For Dog’s Window brewery in Bridgend, the lockdown has seen the company fulfilling more orders than ever.
Lee Ralph, who works as a photographer and runs the “nanobrewery” from home, said: “I’ve got a lot busier, to be honest. I’m actually selling more direct to public than I was with my total sales before.”
Before the lockdown restrictions, Dog’s Window supplied six shops and three pubs.
“I don’t think direct sales are going to be anywhere near as busy after lockdown. Once people get back into the routine of being able to browse through the supermarkets I’m sure it’ll die down but, saying that, I’m actually looking to expand after lockdown. Possibly get premises, brewing bigger batches, as soon as lockdown finishes.”
However Lee explains that his plans to grow the business rely almost entirely on the return of trade with pubs.