Bungay-based St Peter’s Brewery buys out rival Kent brewers
One of the UK’s oldest craft brewers has bought out a rival brewing company in a major industry swoop.
St Peter’s Brewery has snapped up Curious Brewery in Ashford, Kent, for an undisclosed sum.
The brewery was founded in 1996 by John Murphy and located alongside St Peter’s Hall in South Elham, near Bungay and Beccles, making it one of the UK’s first craft breweries.
The firm finalised the purchase of Curious Brewery on September 29.
According to Company’s House, Curious’s head office is now in Bungay, Suffolk, at the same address as St Peter’s.
Five of the company’s six directors have left their posts following the move, including chairman Mark Crowther and managing director Simon George.
Matthew Anderson has maintained his position as Operation Director, joined by a further seven heads.
Derek Hughes has been appointed as CEO. Two of the seven new directors – Dr Wolfgang Tosch and Hayley Scorey – also hold positions on the board of St Peter’s.
Both companies have been approached for comment.
Curious Brewery was originally set up by Tenterden wine-maker Chapel Down. However, after being hit by the enforced closure of pubs and hotels during the pandemic, it announced it was ditching the brand in February 2021.
It came less than two years after it unveiled a multi-million brewery and visitor centre close to Ashford International Station
The buyer of the brand was the private equity firm Risk Capital Partners (RCP) - led by entrepreneur Luke Johnson.
Vowing to build the brand, it appointed a string of senior figures in the drinks trade to help it progress as a standalone venture, and earlier this year it doubled in size after acquiring craft beer and pale ale firm the Wild Beer Company.
Wild Beer, based in Somerset, had gone into administration in December 2022.
Its beer range included Wild IPA and Pogo. It even made a beer, Enso, made from wasps' yeast, but it came unstuck after ten years due to a myriad of factors – including, bosses said, "Covid, loss of export sales, spiralling production costs, damaging inflation and an increase in interest rates".
