Case Study - The Hurns Beer Company Ltd
The Hurns Beer Company Ltd
Trade missions have resulted in a 10 per cent increase in turnover for Swansea based brewery, The Hurns Beer Company Ltd, whilst its relationship with Swansea Bay Partnership has also significantly raised its profile in Wales.
Hurns was saved from liquidation when it was bought by brother and sister, Phil and Connie Parry, in 2002. Through years of hard work and sheer determination, the pair have created an award-winning brand in the range of Tomos Watkins beers, lagers and cider.
Thanks to its involvement with Swansea Bay Partnership and its partner organisation, International Business Wales, the Tomos Watkin brand is now internationally recognised with its products being sold across the globe.
The Hurns Brewery Company has a long and established relationship with Swansea Bay Partnership and over the years the company has been on trade missions across the globe with each and every trip resulting in contracts being signed in countries including Singapore, Barcelona and the United States.
Hurns attended a mission in Canada (the gateway to the United States) with the Partnership, this mission proved to be a very exciting opportunity for Hurns. After further visits to the States this eventually resulted in a contract being won to provide the Tomos Watkin range to 50 US states.
The Hurns Beer Company now employs 69 people and exports 10 per cent of its annual production to overseas market. The biggest testament to its success overseas is the fact that their Cwrw Braf and OSB bottled beers recently picked up Gold and Silver Awards at the World Beer Championships in Chicago. Closer to home, accolades recently won include “the Best Beer in Wales” by Tesco and the True Taste of Wales Gold Award.
Director, Connie Parry, said: “My relationship with Swansea Bay Partnership has been a tremendous experience – the support we’ve received as a business has been first class.
“Without the financial assistance and technical expertise available on the trade missions, none of our current overseas markets would have been made available to us. On each mission they went out of their way to put us in touch with people that were business specific. Everything was researched and organised - they are the epitome of how to run a successful and meaningful trade mission.
Hurns was last year awarded the title of Swansea Bay Regional Business Awards Business of the Year. As a Swansea Bay Partnership event, Connie Parry says winning the award has significantly helped raise the profile of the brand further here at home:
“Swansea Bay Partnership goes out of its way to give you as much support as it possibly can which is why it is such a fantastic initiative. When we won the award, the amount of positive PR and profiling we received from them was outstanding and that is invaluable when you’re building a brand with very little marketing budget!
“We are now well on our way to becoming a true global brand in the bottled beer sector and a big part of that is down to the help and support we’ve received from Swansea Bay Partnership and its partner organisations.”