Brewhouse and Kitchen: The UK’s largest brewpub chain crafting up a storm amidst a sobering pub industry

Craft beer currently accounts for £782m of beer sales in the UK and grew by 23% last year. The once specialist sector has had unanimous success in the US and now serves as a firm growth engine for the nation’s pub and beer economy. In the UK, a similar trajectory is championed by fast-growing brewpub chain Brewhouse and Kitchen. With 19 sites nationwide – 15 of which have opened in the past two years – 400 employees across the British Isles, and consistent profit-led growth, Brewhouse and Kitchen is a true representation of British entrepreneurialism and craft beer mastery at its very best.

Founded in 2011 by pub industry trailblazers Simon Bunn and Kris Gumbrell, the entrepreneurs saw an opportunity to acquire disused and derelict pubs in need of work, and transform them into bustling community hubs that leverage the skills and expertise behind their brews. Offering brewing experience days, beer and food matching experiences and beer master classes through their academy, across the group, in excess of 300+ different beers are brewed on-site, with brews unique to each location. The craft-beer innovators present a real-estate portfolio of stunning sites, now collectively forming the largest brewpub chain in the UK and second largest in Europe – an accolade that has manifested from the founders’ early-stage trips to the US.

Simon and Kris would be keen to discuss the formula to their success so far, their views on the future of the craft-beer and wider pub and hospitality arena, and further business commentary upon request.