Peer-to-beer: how 451 investors are helping produce craft beer in Hackney

Hackney Brewery was established in 2011 to bring top-quality, locally-produced beer to the thirsty drinkers of London. At the time there were relatively few craft breweries in London, and when business owners Jon Swain and Peter Hills started their venture it was the first brewing company in Hackney since the mid-2000’s.

Jon and Peter have been Hackney locals for well over a decade and love it’s sense of community. Experienced home brewers, they set about creating a range of cask and bottled beers to satisfy a variety of tastes. With 15 years of experience working in pubs between them, they also had a pretty good idea of what makes a great beer.

The brewery produce a range of beers including a Golden Ale, an American Pale Ale and a New Zealand Pale Ale, with the odd guest beer from time to time.The majority of malts they use are from the UK (exceptionally good quality malts come from East Anglia and Scotland), and the hops are sourced from across the world depending on what type of beer is being produced (English hops are good for bitters and American hops for the American Pale Ale). The beers are sold to the East End, London and beyond.

The brewery, which is a London Living Wage employer, employs 8 members of staff including a Head Brewer and a part-time Marketing specialist. Pete explains “sustainability is important to us. It’s important to do things right.” This can be seen in all aspects of the business as they use 100% renewable energy in the brewhouse and even contribute what they can to local registered charities!

Hackney Brewery borrowed £30,000 from 451 investors in May 2015 to buy a new fermenter and increase production. In this picture story, Pete discusses his experience of Funding Circle and you can see the craft beer being produced:

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