Pig's Ears Beer
Pig's Ears Beer is a UK craft beer wholesale distributor serving on-trade venues, distributing 100+ brewery brands across beer, wine, spirits, and ciders via two regional depots with no minimum orders and a B2B online ordering platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersCrawley, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Pig's Ears Beer does
Pig's Ears Beer Ltd is a UK craft beer wholesale distributor founded in 2011 by Toni Skinner, headquartered in Rowhook, Surrey, with a second regional depot in Gloucester. The company distributes beer, wine, spirits, ciders, and soft drinks from a portfolio of over 100 breweries to on-trade hospitality venues across the British Isles, with two strategically located depots enabling efficient weekly delivery to London/South East and the South West. Its core differentiators are a no-minimum-order policy, no delivery charges, transparent flat pricing, dedicated account managers, and in-house Beer Academy-certified delivery drivers providing product knowledge at the point of delivery.
The business operates a B2B online ordering platform with live stock levels, filtering by beer style and dispense format, order history, and re-order functionality. Customers can also access nationwide pallet delivery for venues outside the direct delivery zone. A consumer-facing sub-brand, The Fuss.Club, extends the model into direct-to-consumer home delivery of craft beer, with next working day delivery as standard.
Pig's Ears generates revenue through wholesale product markups on transactions with pubs, restaurants, and beer bars, supplemented by pallet delivery services and DTC sales via The Fuss.Club. The company is bootstrapped and founder-controlled, with no external institutional investment, and has grown organically for over a decade while expanding its portfolio beyond beer into wine, spirits, and related categories.
Pig's Ears Beer firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pig's Ears Beer
- Legal name
- Pig's Ears Beer Ltd
- Website
- https://www.pigs-ears.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Pig's Ears Beer is a UK craft beer wholesale distributor serving on-trade venues, distributing 100+ brewery brands across beer, wine, spirits, and ciders via two regional depots with no minimum orders and a B2B online ordering platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pig's Ears Beer industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Craft Beer Wholesale Distribution
- NAICS
- Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers (42481), Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (42482)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Beer, Wine & Spirits Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAIAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Alcoholic Beverage Wholesale (Beer, Wine, Spirits) (AFAIAGAA)
Keywords
Where Pig's Ears Beer is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Crawley
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Pig's Ears Beer business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Craft Beer Wholesale Distribution: Pig's Ears distributes craft beer from various breweries to on-trade venues including pubs, restaurants, and beer bars. They deal directly with breweries across the British Isles, ensuring competitive pricing and quality condition. Revenue is generated through product sales to business customers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | No minimum order policy - single case orders accepted |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Brand Loyalty Scheme (BLS) - free stock rewards |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Pallet delivery for areas outside direct delivery zone |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Pig's Ears Beer product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pig's Ears Beer Ltd is a UK-based craft beer wholesale distributor that supplies on-trade hospitality venues (pubs, restaurants, beer bars) with beer, wine, spirits, ciders, and soft drinks from a portfolio of 100+ breweries. Distribution is delivered via two regional depots, in-house trained delivery drivers, and a B2B online ordering platform, with no minimum order requirements and transparent pricing.
Product overview
Pig's Ears is a craft beer wholesale distribution company operating a B2B online ordering platform and direct delivery service to trade customers across the UK. The company distributes products from 100+ breweries, ciders, wines, spirits, and soft drinks through two regional depots (Surrey for London/South East and Gloucester for South West). The consumer-facing sub-brand The Fuss.Club extends direct-to-door delivery to individual customers. The company maintains core principles of no minimum orders, transparent pricing, and in-house delivery drivers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The Fuss.Club: Customer-facing direct-to-consumer brand launched to deliver craft beer straight to consumers' doors. Next working day delivery as standard.
Products and services
- Craft Beer Wholesale Distribution Service Wholesale distribution of craft beer from 100+ UK and international breweries to on-trade venues including pubs, restaurants, and beer bars. Features no minimum order requirements, transparent uniform pricing, in-house Beer Academy-trained delivery drivers, and weekly pre-determined delivery days by postcode. Covers London/South East from the Surrey depot and the South West from the Gloucester depot, with pallet delivery extending reach nationwide.
- The Fuss.Club Direct-to-consumer home delivery of craft beer, extending Pig's Ears' curated portfolio to individual UK customers with next-working-day delivery, loyalty points, and exclusive merchandise.
- Pig's Ears B2B Online Ordering Platform Trade e-commerce portal enabling on-trade customers to place weekly craft beer orders online with live stock availability, filtering by beer style and dispense format, access to order history and invoices, and re-ordering from previous purchases. Designed for account holders in the on-trade hospitality segment.
- Pallet Delivery Service Nationwide pallet-based delivery service for trade clients outside the Surrey and Gloucester direct delivery areas, with a £600 inc VAT minimum spend for free shipping and next-day delivery available on orders placed before 10am.
Quantifiable outcome
- One supplier, one delivery, one invoice for 100+ breweries
Companies that use Pig's Ears Beer
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Pig's Ears Beer technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Pig's Ears Beer partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Verdant Brewing CocoreCollaboration partner in the 'Coast to Coast' project, a celebration of craft beer across the south coast of England from Kent to Cornwall, held over May 24-27 bank holiday weekend. Over 30+ venues pouring two unique beers brewed specifically for this celebration, available in both cask and keg formats.
- Floc Brewing CocoreCollaboration partner in the 'Coast to Coast' project, working with Pig's Ears and Verdant to bring craft beer celebration to over 30 venues across the south coast of England.
- The Fuss.ClubflagshipPig's Ears customer-facing direct-to-consumer brand delivering craft beer to the public via next working day delivery. Continues to uphold Pig's Ears ethos while reaching consumers outside on-trade market. Allows access to brands too small for pure on-trade distribution.
- Tate ModernflagshipBEER + ART Series partnership hosting end-of-year tap takeover events at Tate Modern, featuring limited edition collaborative beers with 7 UK breweries and artwork displays. First public pour of all seven collaboration beers at Tate Modern event.
- Various Breweries (100+)corePortfolio of 100+ breweries including Verdant, Deya, Cloudwater, Burnt Mill, Tiny Rebel, Thornbridge, Northern Monk, and many others distributed across the British Isles. One supplier, one delivery, one invoice model.
- Turner Hardy & CocoreFreshly squeezed tomato juice producer added to Pig's Ears portfolio. Products include 'The Lively One' (lightly spiced), 'The Feisty One' (intensely spiced), and 'The Pure One' using Isle of Wight tomatoes. Available in 24x25cl or 12x75cl bottles.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Pig's Ears Beer competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- LWC Drinks: One of the UK's largest independent drinks wholesalers, distributing beers, wines and spirits to on-trade customers nationwide. Highly comparable to Pig's Ears on business model (multi-supplier wholesale to pubs/bars/restaurants) but operating at materially larger scale and broader geographic coverage.
- Matthew Clark: Now part of C&C Group, Matthew Clark is the UK's largest on-trade drinks wholesaler, supplying beers, wines and spirits to pubs, restaurants and hotels nationwide. Direct competitor to Pig's Ears on the on-trade wholesale motion, with vastly greater scale, route density and brewery relationships.
- Cave Beverages: UK specialist craft beer and craft drinks distributor supplying on-trade and off-trade customers. Closely comparable to Pig's Ears as a craft-specialist wholesaler curating a portfolio of independent breweries for trade customers, though with a broader craft category remit.
- Enotria & Coe: UK specialist wholesaler focused on premium wines and spirits supplied to on-trade and independent retail. Comparable to Pig's Ears on multi-supplier wholesale model and on-trade customer base, but skewed toward wine/spirits rather than craft beer as the lead category.
- Hallgarten & Novum Wines: UK specialist wine wholesaler with one of the most extensive premium and boutique wine portfolios, serving on-trade and independent retail customers. Comparable on the specialist-multi-supplier wholesale model and customer overlap with Pig's Ears' wine portfolio expansion.
- Bibendum Wine: UK premium wine specialist wholesaler supplying restaurants, hotels and independent retailers. Relevant peer given Pig's Ears' recent wine portfolio expansion and overlapping on-trade customer base, though Pig's Ears' lead category remains craft beer.
Emerging players
- We Are Beer: London-based craft beer specialist distributor serving on-trade and off-trade customers with a curated portfolio of UK and international breweries. Highly comparable specialist craft model to Pig's Ears but with a smaller geographic footprint.
- Honest Brew: UK craft beer DTC subscription and online retailer offering curated cases from multiple breweries. Closely comparable to The Fuss.Club sub-brand of Pig's Ears on the consumer-direct craft beer delivery model.
- Beer Hawk: UK online craft beer retailer offering multi-brewer cases, subscriptions and gift delivery. Comparable to Pig's Ears' Fuss.Club DTC motion in the consumer-direct craft beer category.
Broad incumbents
- BrewDog: UK's largest craft brewer with its own bars and significant national on-trade and off-trade distribution capability. Comparable as a craft beer market leader whose scale and own-brand distribution strategy contrasts with Pig's Ears' pure independent-specialist wholesale model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Pig's Ears Beer social profiles
Digital presencePig's Ears Beer compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Pig's Ears Beer financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pig's Ears Beer leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Pig's Ears Beer funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pig's Ears Beer M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Pig's Ears Beer
What does Pig's Ears Beer do?
Pig's Ears Beer Ltd is a UK-based craft beer wholesale distributor that supplies on-trade hospitality venues (pubs, restaurants, beer bars) with beer, wine, spirits, ciders, and soft drinks from a portfolio of 100+ breweries. Distribution is delivered via two regional depots, in-house trained delivery drivers, and a B2B online ordering platform, with no minimum order requirements and transparent pricing.
Is Pig's Ears Beer a public or private company?
Pig's Ears Beer is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Pig's Ears Beer founded?
Pig's Ears Beer was founded in 2011. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Pig's Ears Beer based?
Pig's Ears Beer is headquartered in Crawley, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Pig's Ears Beer make money?
One revenue line is on record: craft Beer Wholesale Distribution.
Who are Pig's Ears Beer's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are LWC Drinks, Matthew Clark, Cave Beverages, Enotria & Coe, Hallgarten & Novum Wines and Bibendum Wine. Emerging players are We Are Beer, Honest Brew and Beer Hawk. BrewDog is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Pig's Ears Beer have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pig's Ears Beer.
What industry is Pig's Ears Beer in?
Pig's Ears Beer's product category is Craft Beer Wholesale Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAOAIAA, Beer, Wine & Spirits Wholesale Distribution, with a secondary code of AFAIAGAA, Alcoholic Beverage Wholesale (Beer, Wine, Spirits). Its NAICS code is 42481 and its SIC code is 5180.