HESKET NEWMARKET BREWERY LIMITED

What HESKET NEWMARKET BREWERY LIMITED does

Hesket Newmarket Brewery Limited is a cooperatively owned microbrewery registered in England and headquartered in a 17th century barn in Hesket Newmarket, Cumbria (Lake District). Founded in 1988 by Jim and Liz Fearnley, it was acquired by a community cooperative of approximately 100 members in 1999 to prevent closure or sale, and is the oldest surviving microbrewery in Cumbria. The business operates on a non-profit-maximizing cooperative model and is structurally distinct from a typical private company: it has no external shareholders, no dividend obligations, and no public listing.

The brewery produces approximately 11 named real ale brands (each branded after a Lake District fell such as Black Sail, Haystacks, Helvellyn Gold, Brim Fell IPA, Catbells, Old Carrock, Scafell Blonde, Skiddaw, Doris' 90th Birthday Ale, Bowscale Pale, and Little Mell Pilsner) in cask, bottle, and can formats, plus seasonal Peak Bagger specials. In 2023 it expanded into spirits with Lakeland Dry Gin (42% ABV, 70cl) distilled in-house using locally foraged botanicals (gorse, heather, oak). Core production technology is traditional cask ale brewing augmented by temperature-controlled storage, modern bottling/canning lines, and small-batch copper gin distillation.

Revenue is generated through three channels: trade sales to hospitality stockists (pubs, hotels, restaurants, campsites, regional retailers including Booths, Westmorland Family, Cranstons, Pioneer, Love The Lakes, Chestnut House, Lakeland Artisan) across the Lake District region; direct-to-consumer sales through the brewery itself, a SumUp online store, and a Brew2You partnership; and event services including 72-pint and 36-pint barrel hire plus standalone bar hire. An affiliated cooperative, The Old Crown, acquired in 2003 and believed to be the UK's first cooperative pub, functions as the brewery tap and a captive on-premise channel. Operations are supported by a small team of approximately 6 (4 core staff plus admin/assistant roles); financial results are not publicly disclosed.

Name

HESKET NEWMARKET BREWERY LIMITED

Legal name

Hesket Newmarket Brewery Ltd

Website

https://hesketbrewery.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hesket Newmarket Brewery Limited is a cooperatively owned microbrewery in Cumbria's Lake District producing named real ales and gin for regional hospitality stockists, online DTC buyers, and event customers, with a sister cooperative pub (The Old Crown) serving as its brewery tap.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Beer

NAICS

Breweries (31212), Breweries (312120)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082), Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Microbreweries & Craft Breweries (THAFALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Beer Brewing & Craft Brewing (AFAFAAAA), Beer Brewing & Brands (CRADAIAA), Packaging & Production Breweries (Limited/No On-site Service) (THAFALAB)

Keywords

• Craft beer brewing
• Real ale production
• Microbrewery operations
• Distilled gin products
• Cask conditioned ale

Headquarters

HQ city

Hesket Newmarket

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Beer Sales: Full-flavored real ales sold in cask, bottles, and cans. Core range includes Black Sail (4.0% ABV stout), Helvellyn Gold, Brim Fell IPA, Catbells, Scafell Blonde, Skiddaw, Haystacks, Old Carrock, Bowscale Pale, and seasonal Peak Bagger specials. Also produced Doris' 90th Birthday Ale and Little Mell Pilsner.
2. Gin Sales: Lakeland Dry Gin distilled at brewery with locally foraged botanicals. 42% ABV, sold in 70cl aluminium bottles. First batch released Easter 2023.
3. Barrel Hire: 72-pint and 36-pint containers available for events including weddings, birthdays, beer festivals. Stand-alone bar hire also offered.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hesket Newmarket Brewery is a co-operatively owned microbrewery that brews and sells traditional real ales in cask, bottle, and can formats, alongside a Lakeland Dry Gin distilled at the brewery using locally foraged botanicals. The company operates from a 17th century barn in Hesket Newmarket, Cumbria, and serves the Lake District region through its own tap (The Old Crown), an online store, and a network of regional stockists.

Product overview

Hesket Newmarket Brewery is a co-operatively owned microbrewery established in 1988 in the Lake District, producing award-winning real ales and gin. The core product portfolio consists of 11 named beer brands named after Lakeland fells (Black Sail, Haystacks, Helvellyn Gold, Brim Fell, Catbells, Old Carrock, Scafell Blonde, Skiddaw, Doris' 90th Birthday Ale, Bowscale Pale, Little Mell), plus seasonal Peak Bagger Specials and special event beers. The company expanded into spirits with Lakeland Dry Gin in 2023. Additional offerings include barrel sales (72 pints), a standalone bar hire service, and the Doris' Lakeland Ales Ultra fell-running challenge event. Products are sold online via SumUp Store and Brew2You, directly from the brewery, and through retail stockists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Doris' Lakeland Ales Ultra: A fell-running challenge where competitors run a route visiting all nine fells that have Hesket beers named after them. The route is 129.02km with 6,655m elevation gain.

Products and services

• Black Sail Full-bodied traditional stout brewed with dark malts including chocolate, featuring complex flavors of coffee, liquorice, and cocoa tempered by malted oats. ABV 4.0%. Available in cask and bottle. Named after Black Sail Pass in the Lake District.
• Haystacks Light, zesty refreshing ale brewed with finest pale ale malt, clean bitterness, and late hopping for citrus hints. ABV 3.7%. Session ale marketed as ideal after a day on the fells.
• Helvellyn Gold Smooth straw-colored golden bitter hopped with English varieties Goldings and Challenger, brewed with malted oats and Maris Otter pale ale malt. ABV 4.0%. Featured in Roger Protz's '100 Beers to Try Before You Die'.
• Brim Fell Session IPA designed like an English IPA with American hop flavors. Copper-colored with malt body supporting bitterness, balanced and full-flavored. Dry-hopped for fruity finish. ABV 4.5%.
• Catbells Premium pale ale brewed with mixture of English Goldings for bitterness and American hops for flavor and aroma over Pale Ale malt base. ABV 5.0%.
• Old Carrock
• Scafell Blonde
• Skiddaw
• Doris' 90th Birthday Ale
• Bowscale Pale
• Little Mell
• Peak Bagger Specials
• Peak Bagger IPA - Mosaic
• Old Crowning Glory
• Christmas Presence
• Lakeland Dry Gin
• Barrel Hire and Bar Service

Quantifiable outcome

• Black Sail named best cask session dark beer at 2023 SIBA North West Independent Beer Awards
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Pravda Brewery (Lviv, Ukraine)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2022Collaborative brewing partnership to support Ukraine relief efforts. Brewed Putin Huylo beer following Ukraine invasion. Pravda Brewery appeared on BBC news asking worldwide brewers to help by brewing and selling beer with proceeds to charity.
• The Old CrowncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2003Sister co-operative pub, believed to be the first co-operative pub in the UK. Purchased in 2003 to ensure survival of the only pub in the village. Continues to be the brewery tap, serving the best of brewery's brews and providing hospitality.
• SIBA (Society of Independent Brewers)coreOthersTrade body representing small independent brewers. Sets standards for good brewing practice nationally. Awards scheme open to all SIBA brewers.
• Northern Fells Running ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganizers of the Old Crown Round Fell Race, formed in The Old Crown pub. Brewery provides special race ales and prizes for competitors.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tirril Brewery: Small Cumbrian microbrewery producing traditional real ales from a farm-based brewery. Direct comparable in scale, regional focus, and cask ale product mix to Hesket Newmarket.
• Hawkshead Brewery: Lake District-based craft brewery producing real ales and seasonal beers. Direct geographic and product peer, also winning SIBA awards and distributing through similar regional hospitality accounts.
• Campervan Brewery: Lake District-based microbrewery producing craft ales with strong local identity. Closely comparable craft peer operating in the same regional hospitality channel.
• Fell Brewery: Lake District craft brewery producing modern and traditional ales, also leveraging Cumbria/Lakeland branding. Direct competitor in the same geographic market with overlapping customer base.
• Penrith Brewing Company: Independent Cumbria-based microbrewery focused on cask and bottled ales. Comparable craft producer in the same regional market with similar product style.
• Ulverston Brewing Company: Cumbrian microbrewery producing real ales for the regional market. Direct geographic and product comparable operating in the same Cumbria hospitality network.
• Kirkby Lonsdale Brewery: Small North of England microbrewery focused on traditional cask ales with local provenance. Similar size, product mix, and regional craft positioning to Hesket.

Regional players

• Jennings Brewery: Historic Cumbria-based brewery (founded 1828, now owned by Marston's) producing real ales primarily for the Cumbrian and North West England market. Comparable regional craft/cask ale producer with broader distribution.
• Westmorland Brewery: Family-run Cumbrian brewery producing traditional ales with regional distribution. Comparable in scale and Cumbria focus, with slightly broader product distribution.

Emerging players

• Lakes Distillery: Cumbria-based spirits producer (whisky, gin, vodka). Comparable on the gin/spirits adjacency and Lake District provenance theme, though at significantly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hesket-newmarket-brewery-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HESKET NEWMARKET BREWERY LIMITED