Independent family regional brewer Elgood’s, based in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, has, for the first time appointed an external public relations consultancy – Mint Communications. Elgood’s, family run since 1878, aims to generate a higher profile in trade, consumer and regional media for its new range of real fruit juice flavoured wheat beers ‘QE’ (Quintessentially English) in bottle and keg format, due to launch in the spring, as well as its new Lambic beer called ‘Coolship Ale’ of which the first brew was snapped up by Artisanal Imports, an American distributor.
Elgood’s is the only regional brewer in the country able to produce a Lambic beer, due to owning a unique pair of open cooling trays, known as ‘coolship trays’, necessary for the brewing process. Lambic beers, usually brewed in Belgium, allow the beer to cool naturally overnight in the coolship trays, attracting a range of wild yeasts and flavours dominant in the area. The beer then undergoes a spontaneous fermentation over a period of six to nine months. The brew then goes through several months of maturation in the brewery’s oak barrels, resulting in a spectacular tasting Lambic beer. A second batch is due for sampling early in the summer of 2014.
Elgood’s is run by the fifth generation of the family with three sisters sharing the responsibilities of the company; Belinda Sutton, Managing Director, Jennifer Everall, Company Secretary and Claire Simpson, Marketing and New Product Development Director. Claire is qualified as a landscape architect and was responsible for the re-design of the beautiful four acre garden backing on to the Brewery which incorporates specimen trees as old as the surrounding buildings, as well as herbaceous borders, a lake, rockery, water features, herb gardens and a maze. Elgood’s tied estate includes 36 pubs within a 60-mile radius of the Brewery in the heart of the ‘Fen’ country in Cambridgeshire and includes Lincolnshire and Norfolk.
Claire Simpson, Elgood’s Marketing and New Product Development Director comments: “Mint Communications comes highly recommended and has a strong track record in successfully raising the profile of many other drinks brands. As such, the consultancy was a natural choice to handle our business. It is the first time we have appointed an external Public Relations consultancy as we feel that now is the perfect time to capitalise on our new product launches as well promoting our brewery, beers and pubs via a strategic media relations programme.”
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Gill Shaffer
Mint Communications
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February 2014