Beer at home means job security for a group of workers at a historic Black Country brewery which was rescued from closure earlier this year.
The 11-strong workforce at Highgate Brewery in Sandy Mount Road, Walsall, can look forward to some Christmas cheer after being flooded with orders from all over the UK for their five-litre casks of traditional ale in time for the festive season.
The surge of interest in the firm’s traditional ales is securing the jobs at the brewery, which was saved from closure by a management buy-out earlier this year. It was the second time in the past two years that the brewery, founded in 1899, had been under threat.
In 2009 Highgate, which also brews Birmingham’s iconic Davenports range, was saved when property developers Simon Toon and David Lindol pumped in cash to avoid time being called on the business when it was faced with a £1 million bill from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.
Highgate launched the five-litre party casks of traditional ale this week and the firm has been swamped with interest from potential customers.
Joanne Toon, spokeswoman for Highgate, said: “It is keeping us afloat after a traumatic time, but we are determined to be able to supply everyone.”
