Fyne Ales announce massive £2m expansion

The Fyne Ales livestock shed; site of the brewery development. Photo by Adam Shafi of Walking and Crawling, used with permission

It’s been something of a long time in coming, but finally, the news we were all waiting for has arrived from the mist-shrouded Argyll hillsides. Fyne Ales, one of Scotland’s most respected producers, are expanding. Construction is set to begin on a 40bbl brewkit – four times the size of their current setup – in the old cowshed on their Cairndow farm site. Speaking to Director Jamie Delap last week, he was more effusive even than usual (which says a lot), waving his arms in ever increasing circles when describing the extension. It’s fantastic news for everyone at Fyne, and should set the scene for their beers reaching ever-more distant markets.

Having been to the brewery a few times, it’s quite easy to see how the developments have taken hold over the years; from chatting with Jonny Delap in a whitewashed barn, to the re-jigging of a brewery shop and small bar, through to the 2012 opening of their custom-built brewery tap (see Adam’s post for more photos of the Fyne Ales site). Throughout all of this, the faithful 10bbl kit has remained, necessitating double brewdays every weekday, just to keep up with demand. The answer to this constant motion is merely a short stone’s throw away; the old livestock shed, standing silently as the other buildings increase around it. But not for much longer.

As part of the enormous £2m expansion, the shed will be razed and replaced by a British-built brewkit, alongside additions such as a hopback and a purpose–built grain mill. In all, ten new jobs will be created at Fyne Ales, once everything is in place. It’s interesting that Jamie and the team have decided to go with a British-made kit, rather than having one fabricated on the continent (or further afield) and shipped in. Fyne Ales are a family company, first and foremost, and being based on their fourth-generation farm gives them an appreciation of their history that few other Scottish breweries have, I think. More than most, they are conscious of the values and traditions associated with the British market they are becoming a central part of.

That’s not to stay they are standing still, of course. The press release issued this morning mentioned the ‘Craft’ word seven times, and hinted at an expansion of Fyne’s fledgling kegging operation, and future export markets. Most importantly of all, it projected that turnover will treble and increase to over £5m in five years. It’s wonderful news for Fyne’s many fans (a group in which I unashamedly include myself), and is a testament to the hard work they have put in to secure a seven-figure loan and grants from both the Highlands and Islands Enterprise Scheme and the Scottish Government (via the FPMC scheme).

Work has already started on the project, and although it probably won’t be complete in time for June’s Fynefest, there will be no shortage of people wandering over, pint in hand, to peek over the fence. Surely, this announcement is the start of ever more great things up at Cairndow.