Strong growth and a track record of innovation at the parent company of Bath Ales has earned it the prestigious title of 2017 PwC West of England Business of Year.
Cornwall-based St Austell Brewery was presented with the award at a gala dinner staged on Wednesday.
Judges praised its diversification, investment in new products and new brewing technology and innovation, including the launch of a 330ml can of its Tribute Cornish Pale Ale to be served to British Airways customers – potentially reaching up to 27m passengers – and the installation of a small batch brewery to help meet the demand for craft ales.
St Austell Brewery was founded in 1851 and owns 167 pubs across the South West. Best known for Tribute, Proper Job IPA and Korev lager, it reached the landmark figure of 100,000 brewer’s barrels (163,659 hectolitres) of its own brand beers last year – equivalent to 28.8m pints.
It took over Bath Ales’ brewery and bottling plant at Warmley, between Bath and Bristol, its portfolio of beer brands and its 11-strong pub estate in July last year.
The firm’s Bath outlets include The Hop Pole and The Salamander pubs while its Graze bar and restaurant next to Bath Spa railway station also features a microbrewery. Bath Ales’ beer brands include its flagship Gem bitter, Barnsey, Dark Side, Wild Hare and Ginger Hare.
PwC head of tax in the West region and chair of the judges Nick Morgan said: “St Austell Brewery have seen turnover increase by 44.5% to over £153m. The brewery, which employs over 1,400 staff, also impressed award judges with its training facility and new Exeter-based chef academy and successful apprenticeship scheme.”
St Austell won the title in the £30m-plus turnover category against five finalists including Bath-based Independent Vetcare Group (IVC) – the UK’s fastest-growing veterinary group – and Bristol-based recruitment group RSG.
IVC, which operates from more than 350 sites across the country, was founded by CEO David Hillier in 2011 with the acquisition of three practices encompassing 20 sites and backed by August Equity.
It was acquired by Summit Partners in 2014 and has undergone rapid growth, both organically and through acquisitions.
The winner in the category for businesses turning over less than £30m was Portishead-based advanced engineering group Viper Innovations.
Its technology keeps oil and gas fields producing by reversing the effects of failed subsea electrical equipment – saving Viper’s customers huge sums as they do not need to procure and install replacement subsea hardware.
The firm, which also has a base in Aberdeen, has recently used its ground-breaking technology to break into the UK rail industry with an innovative product that reduces delays caused by signal failure.
Competing in the finals of the under-£30m turnover category were Bradley Stoke-based Natracare, which manufactures and sells organic and natural feminine hygiene and baby care products, Exeter Chiefs rugby club and Torquay-based inflatable paddle board manufacturer Red Paddle.
The West of England Business of the Year Awards have been staged by accountancy group PwC for 29 years and have gained a reputation as the region’s most prestigious business accolades.
This year’s awards ceremony was staged in Bristol’s new £19m Aerospace Bristol museum, with guests dining under Concorde. The awards were run in association with Circle2Success, Devon and Cornwall Business Council and Bath Business News and its sister titles in Bristol and Swindon.
Pictured: St Austell CEO James Staughton, centre, accepts the PwC Business of the Year Award from PwC head of tax in the West region and chair of the judges Nick Morgan, left, and Mike Turner of last year’s winner Ian Williams
