Business profile We meet Nadir Zairi the MD of Salt Beer Factory

Salt of the earth

Salt Beer Factory is the younger, hipper, sibling of established cask brewery Ossett Brewery, with both operating under shared ownership but in very different parts of the craft beer market. The idea for Salt sprung from the emergence of American style, hop forward IPAs and pale ales. A world away in taste and style from the traditional cask ales that Ossett had mastered. And in wanting to explore this new side to the market, the team decided that they could only do it justice if they launched a new brewing brand with a dedicated site and team who could champion hop forward beers without diluting the focus on cask at Ossett. Salt Beer Factory was launched in 2018, with a mission to take beer drinkers on a journey into the new world of American-style hoppy beers, but without throwing them straight in at the 8% deep end. The idea that this style of beer could be equally accessible as a session bitter, with a non-daunting entry level 4.2% ABV, underpinned Salt’s belief that these beers can be for everyone. Pubs and retail are at the heart of the Ossett business and that background has also inspired a focus on retail within the Salt brand that has seen it launch four bars – the latest two in London – and a second production site in the capital too. The original brewery and taproom in UNESCO world heritage site Saltaire in West Yorkshire, a village built by leading industrialist Sir Titus Salt – which is also how Salt Beer Factory got its name. Caroline Nodder from Independent Brewer spoke to Salt’s MD Nadir Zairi in early 2022 to hear more about the brand’s ambitious expansion plans…

Business Basics

Name: Salt Beer Factory Founded: 2018 (first beer produced 2016) Location: Original brewery and bar/taproom in Saltaire, West Yorkshire. Second brewery in London and retail sites in Leeds, Sheffield and two sites in Deptford and Woolwich in London

Owners:

Shared ownership with Ossett Brewery by team including Jamie Lawson Annual production: 12,000hl Brewing team: 5 people Staff: 90-100 people (including retail) Core beers: Jute (Session IPA 4.2% ABV), Citra (Session NEIPA 4.3% ABV), Huckaback (NEIPA 5.5% ABV), Alpaca (DDH IPA 6.6% ABV), Ikat (DDH DIPA 8% ABV) and Tram (Double NEIPA 8% ABV)

Production split (cask, keg &

small pack): 55% keg, 40% small pack and 5% cask

Key export markets:

Italy, Singapore, Denmark and The Netherlands

How did Salt Beer Factory come to launch and how has the business developed since then?

“We are under shared ownership, so we have two brewing brands. We have Ossett Brewery, which focuses on cask ale predominantly, and now we have Salt. So with the background of Ossett, and also the background of being in pubs, the initial vision for Salt was actually a focus on lager, craft lager. So I guess that was the initial inspiration to look at a new site and a new brand. And then from that initial inspiration, we came across these amazing American craft beers. The kind of very hop forward IPAs and pale ales. And that really sparked a focus on a hop forward brand and brewery. We were tasting these American craft beers and we had never seen anything of that ilk before. So we did a bit more of a deep dive and realised that that side of the market was growing and it was so different to what we'd already done. We recognised that because it was so different, it had to be a separate brand, a separate site with a separate team to do both ends of the spectrum authentically. So that was the initial inspiration. Then beyond that, as we went through the ideation and development phase, we wanted to bring people on the same journey that we've gone on. So having experienced something so different, when we entered that space, we wanted to create an open and accessible brand that would hopefully bring more people into that kind of hazy, hop forward arena. So that was the focus for our initial beers, and it is a big focus now going forward. I came on board in the extremely early days of Salt. It was before it even had a name. But Jamie Lawson, who's one of the owners, he took me through his journey in regards to how the initial inspiration for Salt came to be. And then I came on board when we basically had an empty shell of a building, and we have built everything out from there.”

Did you always intend there to be a big focus on retail within Salt?

“Yes, 100%. I think we've got a great retail background and experience. There is something amazing about the British pub, the British bar. And that kind of retail focus was very evident in building the brand and building the brewery. Because it's not just a brewery, it's a retail space - the taproom is literally surrounded by the brewery. And that retail focus was the key, it helped with the direction of what we wanted to do. So we focused on what we call in inverted commas ‘pub beers’. We focused a lot on sessionable beers, accessible beers, which was the early core range for Salt. Because we wanted to make beers that were accessible and drinkable. Our retail background has informed the direction that we've gone with the Salt brand as well.”

What is the ethos behind the business?

“It's fairly straightforward. It's just to make great craft beer for everyone. So when we entered the space, I guess the modern brewing space, it was quite a small part of the market, but it felt quite closed off. It seemed like it was hard to get involved, it seemed like it was hard to understand the styles of beer. So we wanted to make it really open and accessible. We just want to make great beer and be as open, as accessible as possible and get it into as many people's hands as possible. And with that, there's a couple of key things that are driving the business going forward. So our core range is a range of styles from an entry level at 4.2%, all the way up to 8%, which are more challenging and a little bit more specialist. But hopefully it takes people on a journey from the entry to more different and exciting styles. In terms of how that impacted the branding, we wanted it to be very recognisable but also very simple. So our branding is led with colour. It’s simple. We have tasting cues on the front of the can, again, to push an accessibility piece. A very, very big focus going forward is the education side of things. We obviously say we want to make great beer for everyone. I think it's important for drinkers and customers to understand what we do and understand what's in the glass. So education is going to be a key pillar for us going forward. And then the final thing that transcends the business across both of our brewing brands, and also through our pub estate, is doing good through beer. Using beer as a force for good is our mission to hopefully have a positive impact beyond just a tasty beer.”

Continued on page 35

What do you do differently at Salt?

“I think the inclusivity and accessibility piece is key to what makes us different, especially at the time we entered the market. That coupled with very openly stating the ambition to make great beer for as many people as possible and our desire to grow, it felt like that was against some of the trends in what was that small virgin part of the market. And again, at that time, the very simple recognisable branding was very different. We were trying to cut through all the noise in the craft beer space at the time, which was very heavily image or pattern led, but it wasn't the most accessible piece for the drinker. It was hard to decipher what was in the can. Even our focus on session beers again, and the core range, I guess the modern craft space was so heavily focused on rotational and what’s new and predominantly higher ABV styles that I think our initial focus on what we call the session beers was again, quite different at the time. But I think it's stood us in good stead. And we're seeing more of the trend now to focus on a permanent core range, and the introduction of more and more sessionable beers.”

What led to the launch of a second production site and what are your plans for that?

“It's a challenge, obviously, having two breweries over 200 miles apart was always going to be a challenge. But the decision came from a couple of different directions. One was capacity led. We saw the need for more brewing capacity. We didn't want to put any kind of dampner on our growth. So we knew that we needed a bigger brewing site so we can continue our growth. So that was obviously a key driver. But beyond that, and probably equally as significant, was a desire to grow the brand beyond the region, beyond being very, very Yorkshire centric. So London is obviously the capital city, and it's deemed to be the capital of modern craft, so says the consumer. So there was definitely a strategic decision as well, by focusing on London as the second production site. So it's perfectly in line with our growth, both from a production capacity point of view, but also strategically, having a footprint in London, hopefully shifting perceptions to the fact that we are growing and that we're not just Yorkshire based any more. And hopefully in line with becoming one of the leaders in modern craft in the UK.”

An exploration piece into the limits of beer, the limits of flavour and the ultimate creative outlet for the brewing team.

What is the Hexagon Project?

“The Hexagon Project is almost like an alter ego. Our brand, our core beers are all about accessibility. But the Hexagon Project is almost like a challenge to our brewing team, giving the freedom to our brewing team to explore the limits of what beer can be. So it's very specialist. It's extremely small batch, really diverse in terms of styles. But it's showcasing what the limits of what beer can be are, celebrating the diversity of what beer is. Because there's so many different styles. There's so much scope to do weird and wonderful and interesting things and use non-traditional ingredients or non-traditional processes. It's just an exploration piece into the limits of beer, the limits of flavour and the ultimate creative outlet for the brewing team.”

You recently launched new retail sites in London, how did that come about and how will they operate

“The retail side of the business has always been very key, and it will continue to be. So when we acquired the brewing site in London, that also came with two already trading taprooms. And again, from a strategic point of view, and I guess just a design point of view, having taprooms in London was a great opportunity. And it's something that we've always spoken about. So it was a great acquisition, both in terms of the brewing side, but also the retail side. We were really lucky. Internally, our head office team has really strong retail background and experience. We're used to working with quite a high number of retail sites now. And we kept everybody on board with the acquisition, and we've got a great team in London anyway. So they can work relatively autonomously. Which has been a massive godsend. But in terms of managing distance, regular communication is obviously key. We are working with them to have all of our retail sites with the same ethos and look and feel. And there's a lot of travel down to London, just to make sure that everybody's in the loop, everybody's on the same page.”

You are based in a very unusual and historic village with UNESCO World Heritage status, how does that shape what you do?

“It's huge. We are at heart proud Yorkshiremen. So we want to shout about our story and our heritage, and our homeland. That really informed a lot of what we've done with the brand, down to the actual name – Salt was the name of the pioneer who built the village where we’re based. We like to tell the story through the names of our core beers as well, they’re all named after textiles. Saltaire was a village built by a mill pioneer, and he built the mill and then he built the model village to house all the workers of the mill. So it's informed the name of the brand and the core beers, but Saltaire has also got a great art and cultural heritage and history as well. So the appreciation for anything craft again, feeds into our brand. Beyond that, the actual building that we are set in is a Grade II listed building. It's under the UNESCO world heritage protection, so it surrounds us on a dayto-day basis.”

What main challenges are you facing right now as an independent brewery?

“The market shifts extremely quickly. So even in the three years that we've been trading, the market has shifted. In terms of consumer trends, consumer tastes, even down to things such as packaging formats – if you’re looking at cans is it a 330ml or a 440ml? So you have to be extremely agile. As a business, it's obviously great to be as planned out as possible and as strategic as possible. But you have to be able to adapt and be really lean and really agile. I think that is quite a large challenge in terms of what we do. And I think as the modern craft sector matures, competition is getting more and more and more tough. And there's an added element of competition on price now as well, particularly with big beer owning craft brands. I think we always strive to put out the best product. But as the sector matures, it's getting more and more competitive.”

Salt was the name of the pioneer who built the village where we’re based. We like to tell the story through the names of our core beers as well.

How important is sustainability to your business?

“It's extremely important both from a business point of view, but from a team point of view as well. I know that the members of the Salt team are all very focused on sustainability in their personal lives. But it's equally as important from a business perspective. So we're constantly reviewing how we can minimise our impact on the environment or how we can be more sustainable as a business. We're constantly focusing on how we can repurpose waste or how we can reduce plastic consumption or how we can reduce the carbon footprint, it's extremely important for any modern day business, I'd say. Beyond that, it feeds into one of the key pillars of our brand, which is doing good through beer as well. So this year, particularly, we are working on some quite significant projects that will have a large impact in terms of sustainability. We're working with a plastic reduction business, basically their MO is to remove plastic from the oceans, and we're looking at a long term collaboration, where we can use the proceeds of the beer to have a pretty significant impact. Sustainability is constantly evolving and updating. But it forms a very serious stream within our thought process, about how we can, as we grow, become more and more sustainable.”

How do you address inclusivity at Salt?

“Obviously there's more and more focus being placed on it in our industry, and I would say that we're very lucky to naturally have a very diverse and open minded team. And I genuinely think that comes from the top down from the ownership to the leadership, through everybody that we have here. If you take me as a person, I came in to work for Salt. I wasn't from the beer industry, and I am from North African heritage, which is, I guess, in the minority within the industry. And I'm relatively young, to be in a senior position. We bring people into the team, or we hire people, on merit. We've got so many different types of people within our organisation that we have hired or promoted or that have grown in the business, just because we view people on merit, and potential, which I think is super key.”

Continued on page 39

How do you see the UK craft brewing scene changing over the next few years?

“I think we're seeing something I'm personally excited about. We're seeing a real growth in a focus on craft lager, independent craft lager. I think that's a really exciting trend. And I think that's going to gain more momentum and become more important for craft breweries. We're seeing in the modern craft space, more and more session beers and core ranges being introduced. And I think that's great. I think it builds more recognisability for the drinkers more options for people to get into the modern craft part of the market. We're now getting to the point where this part of the sector is maturing, there's more awareness about modern craft.”

How can small brewers compete more effectively against ‘big beer’?

“I think we have to almost adopt big beer thinking in the sense of, we have to create a brand that goes beyond what's in the glass. So I think we have to focus on building a full circle value proposition. So before, during, and after drinking a beer, we build a brand that people can resonate with, and they attribute some value to, I think that's extremely key. I think that the more that we can build that intangible value, the greater we can compete. With the advent of digital technology, and social media, it’s kind of democratised things so we can compete with these new tools, whereas before you'd be more limited by investment and budget. I think we have more of a platform to compete and build that kind of full value lifecycle. We also have to maintain the quality in crafting what we do. And I think education by brewers to drinkers is extremely key, I think if we can make drinkers or consumers understand, what is craft? Why is it different? Why do we deserve a premium? I think that will go a long way to hopefully giving us the tools to compete in the market.”

Are there any current trends in the beer world that particularly excite you?

“Not necessarily a trend, but something that we will be focusing on is cask. We love cask, and there's so much amazing cask out there already. But I think with the Salt brand, we probably naturally resonate with a slightly younger consumer.

So we want to shout about how amazing cask beer is, from what makes it so special, down to the care before dispense, down to how it’s served through the beer engine. We're obviously not reinventing the wheel, because there's already amazing cask out there. But hopefully, we can use our brand to get a fresh pair of eyes on it.”

There's already amazing cask out there. But hopefully, we can use our brand to get a fresh pair of eyes on it.

What are you proudest of during your time at Salt?

“I think it has to be how we tackled the pandemic. Obviously, that is such a huge challenge to any business within our industry. And being able to grow through the pandemic. And not just in terms of the volume of our output. But in terms of the team, the skills we have within our team, the execution of what we do, seeing the business and the brand grow through the pandemic I believe it's a huge achievement, in the face of very, very tough circumstances.”

What plans do you have for the business for 2022?

“One of the key plans is focusing on the on-trade. As a brand we've only been going for three years, and probably half of that has been impacted by the pandemic. So we've not really had an extended period of time to really try to build in the on-trade. So that's definitely a core focus for this year. Then we do have the operational challenge of upscaling the production at London. That's a very recent acquisition. And then I think beyond that trying to build value in our brand beyond what's in the glass. We're always striving for the highest quality. But beyond that, I think we can offer something different to drinkers and to consumers. And whether that's the education side of things, or doing good food better, trying to positively impact people through what we do is just building more value to what we do.”

Who do you most admire in the craft beer market at the moment and why?

“I think we've always had great admiration for Thornbridge because they really do span the breadth of British brewing. From a quality point of view, maintaining such high quality over such a long period of time is really enviable. And that's something that we definitely aspire to do. I think a local brewery, but a big brewery, that I personally have a lot of respect for is Timothy Taylor's. I think they've created such a strong, strong brand that's relevant across such a wide variety of outlets, from your really, really traditional cask-led inns, to a modern craft bar in a city centre. Their brand sits really well across all of that, and they’ve been able to maintain a premium price point in cask, which is a real challenge.”