The historic Jennings Brewery located in Cockermouth, Cumbria, has been acquired by two local business owners and entrepreneurs.
The acquisition of the brewery for an undisclosed sum will see two local business owners, Kurt Canfield (CEO of specialist engineering business Delkia) and Rebecca Canfield (Proprietor of wine and spirits company Wine and the Wood), take ownership of the brewery site, with the intention to resume brewing Jennings beer in Cockermouth following the brewery’s closure in 2022.
The deal also involves the transfer of rights to the Jennings brand, including all trademarks, intellectual property and recipes. Bottled beer under the Jennings brand will continue to be sold by Carlsberg Britvic until March 2025, following which beer production will transfer to the new company – Jennings Brewery Ltd.
Rebecca Canfield expressed her enthusiasm to re-open the site, stating:
“As lifelong residents of West Cumbria, we have cherished Jennings Brewery and its beer for many years. Preserving the heritage of the brewery and the Maltings building, which are integral to our community, is of utmost importance to us. We are delighted to bring Jennings back to the local area and to have it once again run by a family-owned business.
“The brewery has almost 200 years of brewing history and one element that really attracted us to the project was the fact that it has its very own well. This is what makes it so beautiful and unique – an authentic Jennings beer can only be brewed with local water!”
Kurt Canfield, who will continue as CEO of Delkia, added:
“This project is a remarkable and ambitious endeavour, which we are taking on to benefit the entire community. The Maltings building is an historic landmark, and we have extensive plans to enhance the site while respecting its heritage. However, critical repairs are necessary and will take time before we can get back to brewing the great beer that Jennings in known for.”
Chris France, founder of speciality beer retailer Beer Hawk will be joining as Managing Director. Chris, who also grew up in The Lake District said “Jennings was hugely influential as I developed my love for this industry, and the idea of bringing a great beer back to the heart of this town is an exciting prospect. There’s a rich brewing history here and we’d love to hear from anyone in the community who wants to join the team or be part of bringing it back.”
Parklife founder Sacha Lord has said he is “reconsidering” his membership of the Labour Party over his “disillusionment with the direction of the Government’s economic policies.”
In an open letter to Chancellor Rachel Reeves posted on social media Lord, the Labour Greater Manchester Mayor’s former nighttime economy advisor, who stepped down from the role last week following the conclusion of an Arts Council investigation into funds acquired by one of his companies, cited “swathes of job losses, venue closures and stalled expansion” in the hospitality sector, alongside forecasts that as many as 9,000 forecasted pub closures over the next 12 months as key drivers of his frustration.
Today, I wrote to the Chancellor calling for urgent action to save hospitality.
As a member, I went to the manifesto launch, I backed the party and I believed in them. Now, I’m questioning that decision.
Rising costs, tax hikes and staff shortages are pushing thousands of businesses to the brink yet we’ve had zero acknowledgement from the Government of the dire situation the industry is in.
Hospitality isn’t just an industry, it’s 3.5m jobs, £54bn in tax and the heart of our communities. Without action, 9,000 pubs could shut in the next year.
The Government needs to know just how important our pubs, bars and restaurants are, before it’s too late.