Northern pride for Seven Bro7hers

What he never guessed was that his hobby would lead to a burgeoning craft brewing business for his seven yes, seven sons

The McAvoy siblings Guy, Keith, Luke, Dan, Nat, Kit and Greg run the suitably named Seven Bro7hers brewery in Salford and they re going from strength to strength since forming in 2014

As each of the brothers hit the legal drinking age of 18, they had their ritual first pint in Dad’s cellar, from Eric s latest batch of beer

And that not only gave them a taste for the good stuff, but an appetite to succeed in business which they ’ ve certainly done

This band of brothers were not just bound by love for each other, but by love of beer, and the best possible beer at that

They ’d always fancied working together, but all went their separate ways with different careers until just short of a decade ago they collectively had their lightbulb moment why not work together doing what they loved, and creating their very own craft beer?

Jack Dixon is not a McAvoy brother but one of the ‘extended family of the Seven Bro7hers team, who joined the company five years ago

He said that the idea germinated when one of the brothers Keith worked for a while in Oslo and saw the rise of micro breweries there, at a time when the trend was yet to catch on properly in the UK

The McAvoy boys sat down and came up with a plan to not only brew their own beer but sell it to both the trade and direct to the public They ’d not only have a brewery but their own pub along with it

Jack says: “Our craft beer is now sold all over the country as well as in our own Beerhouse in Ancoats Manchester We also have pubs at Media City, Salford, and Middlewood Locks in Manchester And we ’ ve plans for more We have an alehouse at Terminal Two at Manchester Airport Also a bar and kitchen opening in Halifax, and a beerhouse in Liverpool opened last year

“ The company likes to set up the outlets in places so that other businesses build up around us and we are driving the regeneration of the area ”

At the brewery they ’ re producing 3,000 litres of the finest craft beer twice a day, four days a week While the faithful beat a path to their doors every day to buy the beers over the bar, it is also canned and bound for off-trade outlets as well ensuring that the word about Seven Bro7hers beer is slowly but surely travelling around the world Now, says Jack, the plan is to build on the success in the north-west and make Seven Bro7hers a household name across the UK and beyond They ’ ve already had successes getting into China and the US, and the international market is firmly in their sights They aim for their beer to appeal to the hardened craft aficionado and the newcomer alike with accessible, gateway beers to allow the casual drinker to discover the world of craft brewing, and popular beers that the hardcore fans get totally behind Their beers have won major awards too The

Watermelon Wheat Beer was awarded Double Gold at the European Beer Challenge, with their Honeycomb Pale Ale winning Gold at the same event, and Silver at the London Beer Competition for their Pilsner

They ve also been keen to explore sustainable options in their brewing and bring environmentally friendly practices into the process Five years ago they partnered with cereal giant Kelloggs to upcycle the rejected cornflakes that were too big small or overcooked and did not pass quality control that and use them in the brewing process, a venture that was so successful that they added the beer to their permanent roster

Jack added: “ We also do brewery tours and tastings, as well as holding regular events at the Tap Room in

Salford which are always extremely good fun

We work hard to make our beer taste great, whether it’s our core range or a one-off special release It’s why we ’ re in the brewing business and why people enjoy craft beer and we want everyone to love it as much as we do, so we try to stay #clearwithbeer and shy away from what new craft beer drinkers may find daunting

Our beer is for everyone ”

Oh and by the way there are also four McAvoy sisters as well Why don’t they get involved with the beer business? There’s a very good reason for that They ’ ve set up their own company, producing craft gin But that s another story www.sevenbro7hers.com

Harbour International Freight

Harbour International Freight, the Manchester-based transport and logistics business is going from strength to strength and is one of the fastest-growing logistics companies in the North and Ireland

As a long-standing Irish Sea operator and the first in the market offering overnight palletised services between Manchester in Dublin in the 1980s as well as being a key member of the Pall-Ex pallet distribution network in the UK they have the experience, knowledge and strong belief in putting the customer first that unfortunately is lacking these days

During 2022 the company invested heavily to future proof the business moving into a new purpose-built 45,000 sq ft cross dock facility in Trafford Park taking the total UK warehousing to over 65 000 sq ft along with new HQ facilities in Dublin of 157 000 sq ft

With full UK coverage, it gives the ability to support and help customers such as Seven Bro7hers get their goods and products to customers nationwide with ease and peace of mind With their own network of depots throughout the isle of Ireland and a dedicated SPS Foodstuff Customs Compliance team in Dublin, it makes the process of shipping to Ireland and Northern Ireland straightforward and simple