Hepworth & Company to install new canning line as part of investment programme
Hepworth & Company has unveiled a major programme of investment in its Sussex brewery, including the installation of a new 30,000 cans/per hour capacity canning line and a number of environmental measures which will help the brewer reach its 85% carbon neutral target by 2025.
The investment programme will be led by brewery founder and managing director Andy Hepworth, who is stepping down from day-to-day operations to become chairman, guiding new projects. Ed Wray, who has been with Hepworth’s for three years as assistant head brewer, moves up to the head brewer role.
The canning line, which is scheduled to go live in August this year, will enable Hepworth’s to launch new beers specifically for the craft can sector later this year, complementing its existing range of cask, keg, and bottled beers. They will also offer a quality canning service to other brewers, to make use of the significant capacity offered by the new line.
Andy Hepworth said given Hepworth’s many years of successful contract bottling, the logical move was to bring canning in house, “which gives us complete control over the quality of our canned beers and means we can go to our contract customers with a new service,” he said before adding: “The thirst for canned beers looks set to continue growing so we’re confident there will be demand from brewers who know Hepworth’s as a trusted contractor.”
Hepworth’s plans to continue blazing a trail for sustainable brewing with a CO2 reclaim project set to be installed in autumn 2022.
Hepworth said: “By any measure, we are now one of the most sustainable brewers in the UK, but we are continuing to look for new ways to reduce our carbon footprint even further. We are aiming for 85% carbon neutral status by 2025 – 100% is simply not achievable within that time frame, but we will get there.
“I am personally excited about becoming the company’s full-time sustainability champion and passing the day-to-day running of the brewing operation over to the very capable hands of Ed.”
