Business Growth for Vocation Brewery

Growing a business makes for thirsty work as Calderdale brewery seeks grant support from Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

Vocation Brewery in Hebden Bridge was set up in 2015 and has since grown to become a household brand within the area.

Supermarkets such as Tesco, Asda, Morrison’s and Coop now all stock cans of Vocation beer, making it one of the most recognised and widely-available beers on sale.

Richard Stenson, Managing Director at Vocation Brewery said:
“With this success have come huge challenges, the biggest keeping up with demand and the competitive world of supermarkets. Brewing is a very capital intensive industry and whenever demand goes up so does the need for more tanks and bigger brews.”

A grant from the LEP, allowed Vocation Brewery to purchase a canning line which means it is now producing 24,000 cans a day, double what it was producing before. With 11 new jobs created and an increase in productivity, it has now been able to increase the export side of the business.

Richard Stenson, Managing Director at Vocation Brewery said:
“As a small company, there are limitations on our ability to borrow from the bank. This grant allowed us to improve our business in both efficiency and output capabilities.”

Winning more and bigger contracts has meant the brewery is supplying more bars and restaurants with Casks and Kegs, working with large distributors in the area.

Vocation Brewery has even opened its own brewery tap house in Hebden Bridge and more recently in Leeds City Centre as part of Assembly Underground and is on course to hit an £8million turnover this year.