Vineyard and brewery plans visitor centre launch as it toasts bank deal

Tim and Chris Spakouskas, Yorkshire Heart, Sarah Broadhurst, Barclays and Georgina and Gillian Spakouskas, Yorkshire Heart.

A vineyard and brewery in North Yorkshire is investing in a new visitor centre to enable it to offer wine tours and host functions.

Yorkshire Heart was established in 2000 in Nun Monkton, York, with 35 vines by husband and wife team Chris and Gillian Spakouskas.

They produced their first official wine five years later and now have 35,000 vines and grow 17 different varieties of grapes. They launched their award winning brewery in 2011 and son Timothy now produces seven core beers with two different craft beers each month.

Following a succession of awards and seeing demand rocket, the business is investing in a visitor centre following a new finance deal with Barclays, which will enable it to offer wine tours and tastings together with other functions throughout the year.

Gillian Spakouskas said: “We need to continue with our investment programme to meet the increasing demand for our wines and beers and be able to host events in our new visitor centre.”
The company anticipates the new visitor centre will increase the turnover and also help add to their wedding trade.

Sarah Broadhurst, Barclays business banking manager, said: “Chris and Gillian were previously seeing visitors in a marquee which made winter trade difficult so it made good business sense for them to invest in a purpose built visitor centre so they can operate all year round. This is a great example of a well-run family business and the new facilities will take them to the next exciting chapter for the future. I am confident we will see this fast growing and ambitious business going from strength to strength and with craft ales going mainstream, the business is well placed to succeed in this exciting market.”

 

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