Gold Members Croxsons and Vigo

CROXSONS CELEBRATES A REMARKABLE ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR AMID STRONG SIGNS OF RECOVERY ACROSS THE SECTOR

CHANGES AT THE HELM

2021 seemed to be very much a game of two halves for the sector. The first half was pretty much the same as 2020, while the second half was a long-awaited, yet tentative emergence from pandemic restrictions with the green light given to hospitality to kick-start trading - music to the ears of the country’s independent brewers! Clearly with the onset of new Covid-19 strains, such as the Omicron variant, we’re not out of the woods just yet, but certainly as we enter 2022, the indications are looking promising for a return to equilibrium for the business community at large.

As we always say in our news, to our long-standing customers, thank you for your ongoing custom; your patronage is always appreciated. And for those of you who have recently become a Croxsons’ customer, welcome and thank you for your business and trust in us. We will endeavour to support you through thick and thin and provide you with the service you need to thrive, irrespective of the challenges faced.

I hope you enjoy reading our update. There is a real buzz in the Croxsons camp this year… maybe reaching our 150th anniversary might have something to do with it!

As ever, we are always delighted to hear from SIBA members, particularly with assistance in diversification and the need to improve efficiency and profitability. If you are considering your options, don’t forget that Croxsons can provide all types of primary packaging, designed by an award-winning design team to help maximise your brand in a unique and distinctive way. Please contact us to discuss your ideas.

Before the end of 2021 and as part of Croxsons’ succession planning, Tim Croxson, previously the COO, took up the position of CEO, in place of his father, James Croxson, who stepped aside to concentrate more on developing the company’s international concerns.

In taking the business forward and increasing its market share, both James and Tim, who represent 4th and 5th generations of the Croxson family respectively, enjoyed a fruitful partnership together over the past 20 years.

Tim Croxson added: “Moving into the CEO seat at Croxsons is really a natural progression for both James and I. Our combined strengths and the team we have built around us, have helped put the company into an incredibly strong position.

“As an ardent and often vocal supporter of SIBA and its members, I very much look forward to further developing our excellent relationships, while personally continuing to provide the familiar face of Croxsons, working alongside a strong team to deliver mainstream advice and support whenever required.”

150 YEARS AND STILL GROWING!

IN PURSUIT OF SUSTAINABILITY

Croxsons celebrates its 150th anniversary this year! For those of you who are yet to know us well, you may be interested in a brief insight into our history.

The majority of businesses these days have some form of environmental objectives in place. Ours go back 150 years, when we first began our business supplying wine merchants with returnable bottles.

William Croxson established his wholesale bottle merchant business in London in 1872. Now with the fifth generation of the family leading the business, Croxsons has grown from a small enterprise, to an internationally focussed organisation exporting into 50 countries.

Over the last four decades, there has been a huge evolution of the company. Building on the corporate vision, we are now wellestablished as an international expert in single-source, multi-choice glass packaging. In our more recent history, the company has concentrated its efforts on successfully supplying a broad base of clients ranging from artisanal producers to seasoned, multinational brand owners.

As a family business, we remain immensely proud of our achievements to-date and, with solid foundations in place, we look forward to the next 150 years, all with the hallmark of Croxsons’ care.

We will of course be planning an appropriate beer or two during the year to mark this remarkable milestone, but in the meantime, thank you for your continued support over the years.

These days at Croxsons, we are looking at all opportunities to make our business more sustainable, including working towards being carbon net zero at some stage in the future - ambitious, but certainly achievable.

Across the industry, ground-breaking research has been undertaken to produce glass bottles created from 100% recycled glass. A trial by glass manufacturer, Encirc, in partnership with industry research and technology organisation, Glass Futures, has resulted in 100% recyclable glass bottles being made by only using the energy from burning ultra-low-carbon biofuels.

This is important because the initiative will pave the way for an industry-wide reduction in carbon emissions, as the glass sector moves away from fossil fuels, and towards low-carbon alternatives. Made out of waste organic materials, biofuels are a renewable and much more sustainable fuel source than those traditionally used by the glass sector, and can reduce the carbon footprint of each bottle by up to 90%. By using up to 100% recycled glass to create the new bottles, the trial has been able to even further minimise the lifetime impact of these products.

This really is an excellent development for manufacturers, end users and consumers across the drinks industry in general, not least the independent brewing sector. Please contact us for more information on this existing development.

CROXSONS ONLINE SHOP ON THE Just to remind you that our online shop is available for brewers to purchase MOVE closures. The shop (which is at www.croxsons.com/department/beer) provides customers with the added flexibility of being able to order closures to suit their own timeframe as and when their busy schedule demands.

Online ordering also means a reduction in Croxsons’ minimum order, which will allow more customers to benefit from our wide UK held stock. Crowns include the popular Union Jack and the SIBA Assured Independent crown, launched in conjunction with SIBA to help beer drinkers identify genuine independent craft beers from mass produced global brands. After 37 years at Alpha Place in Morden, Croxsons is moving to a purpose-built workspace in Sutton. While our new home is being designed and built, we are being accommodated 250m down the road at SPACES. We hope to be in our refurbished home shortly and cannot wait to show you around.

EST. 1984

Equipping the Nation’s Craft Breweries

Visit Vigo at Stand 78/79

“THERE IS INVARIABLY AN ELEMENT OF SURPRISE...”

Even after 38 years of trading we have to stop ourselves from making the assumption that our clients are aware of our complete product range. It is not uncommon for us to have supplied a canning line to a brewery and for our engineers to return from a servicing visit a year down the line only to report back that the client wasn’t aware that we also sell kegging equipment, for example. There is invariably an element of surprise: “Oh, I didn’t realise you supplied them!” Sometimes this is followed by, “If I’d have known that, I wouldn’t have gone elsewhere.” There is no denying that we sell a lot of varied equipment and consumables but, despite our best efforts, spreading the word to clients and new contacts is a challenge. There is just so much to convey.

Andy Pegman, Sales Director, Vigo Ltd

Bottling equipment Brewhouses Canning lines Carbonators

If you need any help choosing equipment, whether your brewery is relatively new or has been trading for many years, we would be really pleased to take your call and chat through your specific requirements. Our equipment and consumables range is covered extensively on our website, but there is no substitute for discussing your requirements and the available options, so please do give us a call. If you would prefer a video call with us, we can easily arrange this. Or, if you will be at BEERX, come and chat to us on our stand.

PORTFOLIO

Chilling systems Filtration equipment Fittings & hoses Keg washers & fillers Labelling machines Pumps Steam cleaners Tanks

PROCESSING & PACKAGING OPTIONS

tel 01404 892 100 ● email sales@vigoltd.com ● www.vigoltd.com

BREWHOUSE, KEGGING & CHILLING RINGMAIN A COMPLETE SOLUTION

Vigo supply stand alone pieces of equipment or complete processing lines like this one at Utopian Brewing. We provided and installed an ABE brewhouse with a bespoke platform layout to suit Utopian’s requirements, bespoke pipework required for the layout, a ringmain designed specifically for the layout and to facilitate future expansion plans, and a Malek keg cleaner and filler.

We are acutely aware here at Vigo that a one size definitely doesn’t fit all, and we work hard to provide tailored solutions appropriate to the requirements of each project. The range of equipment we supply, the expertise we have gained through 38 years of equipping drink producers, and our in-house team of Vigo engineers enable us to offer and install flexible solutions with comprehensive, on-going backup and support.

CASE STUDY

SALCOMBE’S PACKAGING PROJECT

We were pleased to be selected as Salcombe Brewery’s chosen supplier of packaging equipment for their major investment in facilities. The production line included a CIMEC bottling line, an ABE canning line, a Malek kegging facility, ABE tanks, a Kreyer/Quantor chiller with full ringmain controlled by a bespoke Vigo manufactured PLC control system, and a Bared cross flow filter. Our engineers installed the complete line including the ringmain for the service pipework; they also interlinked the canning & bottling lines to share a single packing area (minimising the footprint of the line).

Sam Beaman, Head Brewer at Salcombe said:

“We have been really pleased with all the equipment that was supplied and installed by Vigo. The excellent customer service and technical support from their engineers continues to added value to the project.”

PRODUCTION PINCH POINTS

Increased levels of product demand is really encouraging, but when you have to contend with the stark reality of production challenges, it can take its toll and lead to a stressful, inefficient working environment. Whether processing or packaging for bottle, can, keg or bag-in-box, production pinch points can include any of the following: • Labour intensive & disjointed processes • Mismatched pieces of equipment • Equipment which is no longer up to the job or not fast enough • Inability to package in the required format

If you face any of these problems, no matter what stage you are at, we invite you to give us a call. We have decades of experience helping producers and can provide both semi-automatic and automatic solutions for reducing labour, increasing efficiency and improving capacity.

SMALL PACK & KEG EQUIPMENT

There is little doubt that despite the economic and logistical challenges the pandemic brought us all, the demand for small pack was (and is) strong, particularly via the direct-to-consumer and off trade route.

As we write this, we hope that the removal of Plan B covid restrictions will enable bars, taprooms and restaurants to get one step closer to business as usual and fully restore their vital role in the heart of the community. A boost for both the keg and cask markets is long overdue.

Please give us a call if you are looking to increase or improve your bottle rinsing/filling/ capping/labelling, canning, kegging, or bag-inbox capabilities; or if you are thinking of diversifying into any one of these areas. We look forward to chatting through your requirements and your aims for 2022 or the years ahead.