Two former oil and gas workers have had a helping hand to set up their new microbrewery, thanks to a share of Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) funding from Scottish Enterprise.
Former Expro director David Grant launched the venture – Fierce Beer – from his home in Great Western Road, Aberdeen, last year after positive feedback for his home brews.
The other director is Dave McHardy, who used his voluntary redundancy package from offshore technology Veripos to fund his place on a brewing course in Sunderland.
Mr Grant was also on the course and the pair discovered they both shared the dream of opening a brewery in Aberdeen.
SE said yesterday its £30,000 RSA grant was to support the creation of three jobs and a total investment of £166,500 by Fierce, which has just moved to premises in Kirkhill Industrial Estate, Dyce.
The company, the only registered brewery in Aberdeen, already supplies beer to a handful of bars in the city.
Fierce, whose beer names include Ginja Ninja, Cranachan Killer, Eskimo Joe and Dirty Sanchez, was incorporated in March last year.
Its relocation to Howemoss Avenue is expected to lead to “larger scale brews” hitting the market early in June.
An RSA grant of £90,000 to Dundee beer-maker 71 Brewing is expected to support eight new jobs and a total investment of £446,000.
The funding comes at a time when Scotland’s flourishing craft beer industry is looking to take advantage of a growing international thirst for their products.
A Scottish trade mission to Hong Kong next week will give brewers access to industry experts, buyers and importers who can offer advice on breaking into potentially lucrative Far East markets.
A total of 13 beer-makers, including Deeside Brewery, Lerwick Brewery, Orkney Brewery, Spey Valley Brewery and Swannay Brewery, and a Perthshire gin and whisky distiller will be represented on the Scottish Development International-led trip to Hong Kong.
SE food and drink director Danny Cusick said: “The craft brewing industry in Scotland has been a huge success story in recent years, providing opportunities for companies to produce a wide range of distinctive and innovative products that are exported all over the world.
“We’ve seen innovations such as using whisky casks to age beers or flavouring them with heather, giving a unique edge to Scotland’s products.
“Both this latest funding announcement and the trade mission show how the industry is being supported by Scottish Enterprise and its partners to take advantage of growing consumer demand for craft beer across the globe.”
There are already more than 100 craft breweries operating across Scotland and the number is rising. They are targeting a UK premium bottled ale market currently worth an estimated £490million a year, which is forecast to rise to more than £1billion by 2020.