Black Country brewery set for major expansion

A DUDLEY brewery is planning a major expansion following one of its most successful 12 months.

Holden’s Brewery has completed a new bottle store and office expansion at its base in Woodsetton and has now submitted revised plans to Dudley Council to extend the rear of the existing brewery in George Street to three stories, rather than the previously anticipated two.

The extra capacity is needed as the firm looks set to win an export contract to Japan for the first time in its history. The contract will see the company having to increase ale production from 50,000 to 75,000 pints per week.

Before this can happen extra fermentation tanks and bulk beer storage will have to be installed.

Jonothan Holden, the brewery’s managing director, said: “We have plans to export to Asia in the future which looks very positive. We are incredibly busy at the moment and have three projects running alongside each other, but it is all looking extremely encouraging.

“There has been an increase in the cask ale market and an increase in demand for package beer. The expansion is necessary for us to build on the business.”

Holden’s Brewery is well placed for expansion. It has made a £300,000 investment in the extension so far and the enlarged facility is expected to be operating by October or November.

The expansion underlines the brewery’s strength and its ambition to defy the economic gloom by growing for the future.

The growth of the business is set to create 10 new jobs. Holden’s has already taken on three new members of staff during the last year and it said it was looking likely that recruitment would continue later in the year.

Holdens is one of only 33 independent family brewers left in Britain, brewing a mixture of traditional Black Country cask ale, beer and bottled beer.