Sustainable beer maker Crumbs Brewing has hit a £150k crowdfunding target to back its growth plans and fight food waste with new product launches.
The brewery turns unsold bread from local bakeries in Surrey into a range of four core beers, each brewed using one type of leftover loaf.
The business, started by husband-and-wife team Morgan and Elaine Arnell in 2017, has expanded from selling beers at local markets to supplying Waitrose and John Lewis nationwide, alongside Southern Co-op and the National Trust, as well as pubs, restaurants, hotels and farm shops.
It has raised £152k from 78 investors on the Seedrs platform, with plans to strike new product partnerships with brands that share its mission to fight food waste.
This month, Crumbs launched a new lager made using wonky and unsold plain naan bread sourced from manufacturers and retailers.
Funds will also be used to create a Crumbs Hub to sell direct to consumers and expanding out of the local Surrey area to partner with more bakeries across the country
Morgan Arnell said: “The growing awareness of the importance of sustainability and people’s desire to buy brands that have a purpose at their heart is undoubtably a big driver of our appeal but that becomes even more powerful when you use that to deliver a great product with a powerful underlying local story.
“It’s our sweet spot: fighting food waste, making great products with a great artisan ingredient and partnering with a well-respected baker in our local community. That’s why, as we grow, we don’t want to lose sight of that.
“We will expand nationally by forming new partnerships with other ‘local’ bakers up and down the country. Helping them address their challenges with wastage of their lovingly crafted artisan products and creating unique products that will resonate in their area.”
Crumbs claimed to have saved more than 35,000 loaves from being wasted since launching the business.
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