Keith Brewery owner set to open more bars
By Jack Walsh
SCOTTISH brewery group Consolidated Craft Breweries (CCB), which recently opened its first bar in Edinburgh, is fanning the flames of success as it looks to expand the concept beyond the capital.
The group, which was formed in 2018 and counts Keith Brewery, Alechemy Brewing and drinks distributor Firkin Express in its stable, had designs on its own bar for some time when the leasehold to the Morrison Street venue – now Froth & Flame – came up.
Andrew Chapman, director of sales and marketing at CCB, told SLTN that while various cities in Scotland held considerable appeal to the group, Edinburgh was always going to be the base.
“For our first step we were looking for, effectively, a 12-month city,” he said.
“We opened Froth & Flame in May, so we were open in time for summer. We’ve got the Fringe, the students going back in September, the autumn tests at the rugby, then Christmas coming up, and then you’ve got the Six Nations – so there’s always something just around the corner in Edinburgh.”
And the purpose of the bar itself was clear from the outset: presenting the group’s wide array of craft beer brands under one roof and acting as a testing ground for new brews.
Having secured funding from private venture capital business Discovery Investment Fund in Dundee earlier this year, and with former Pernod Ricard senior executive Tony Schofield installed as its chief executive, the firm wasted no time in transforming the Edinburgh bar with a £100,000 refit.
And with the capital outlet up and running, the company is eyeing sites “in other key cities”.
“As a group, we’ve got certain criteria internally that must be met in terms of population, universities, etc.,” said Andrew.
“We’re keeping our options open. But there’s a few in mind for our second location.”
