Award for brewery after huge rise in online sales
AN independent brewery in Bath that has seen online sales surge 250% during the pandemic has won an award.
Electric Bear Brewing Co, based on Brassmill Lane, has received the Gold Trusted Service Award from Feefo – a reviews platform that allows customers to offer feedback on a company’s products and performance.
Last year the brewery received more than 50 positive reviews with a rating of 4.5 out of 5 after it crafted and distributed 120,000 cans of beer, leading to a huge rise in its online sales.
The company’s head brewer, Ian Morris, welcomed the accreditation, saying he was “glad” the business was able to offer its customers a positive experience throughout the challenges of the pandemic.
Mr Morris said: “We’re very excited to receive this award because it’s based on the feedback of real customers, who are the most important judges of our beer and customer service.
“The award also recognises how hard we work to give all our customers the best possible experience, even in a year as tough as 2020.
“We’re all committed to the highest quality of service, so it’s important for us to listen, understand and respond to all our customers.”
Formed by a group of homebrewers in 2015, Electric Bear takes its name from the old Bear Brewery that used to stand on the corner of Wellsway, next to the Bear Inn in the Bear Flat area of Bath, before it was destroyed by bombing during the Second World War.
The ‘Electric’ part of the company’s name derives from the means of power for its brewhouse kettle, or copper, which is used to boil a sweet, malty liquid called wort during the brewing process.
Steph Heasman, director of customer success at Feefo, congratulated Electric Bear Brewing on winning its award, saying it had “gone way beyond the norm in customer experience.”
Ms Heasman said: “This year, despite the incredible challenges of a global pandemic, so many companies using Feefo have continued to provide remarkably high levels of service and they deserve a huge amount of credit for what they have achieved.”
The news comes at a difficult time for the the beer industry, with lockdown restrictions forcing the closure of pubs across the country.
A survey last year by the Society of Small Independent Brewers, which represents more than 800 craft beer makers, suggested that many of its members have been affected by a drop in beer sales.
Around two-thirds said they expected Covid to have a strong negative impact on their business throughout 2020-2021.