Meet the retailer: A Hoppy Place
Hoppy ever after Craft beer had always played a big part in the lives of Dave and Naomi Hayward, even before they decided to launch their own independent taproom and bottle shop in 2019. The couple even staged a beer festival for guests at their wedding, and they were subsequently inspired by the many taprooms and independent bars and bottle shops they found while exploring California on their honeymoon. Not seeing anything like that in their corner of Berkshire when they returned home, the idea for A Hoppy Place was born. Naomi quit her job in the fashion industry and began working full time in the beer sector, first at Lovibonds and then at Mad Squirrel, before a chance stroll led the pair to walk past the perfect site in Windsor which was to become home to their new venture. The small site does both on and off-trade sales and can host around 25 seated guests or 40 standing.
44
Winter 2021 | SIBA Independent Brewer | www.siba.co.uk
It offers 12 keg beers and two to three cask beers on draught as well as over 150 bottled and canned products, and was recently named UK Craft Beer Retailer of the Year at the 2021 SIBA Business Awards. Inclusivity is key to the operation, and the venue is an antidote to an increasingly digital world, with a mission to bring local people together and encourage face to face conversation and discussion. Naomi and her brother Jason work full time at the site, while Dave continues to juggle his day job in IT with evenings spent behind the bar or re-stocking the cellar. Independent Brewer’s Caroline Nodder caught up with Dave in November to find out more about how he and Naomi came to launch the business, what plans they have to expand, and what winning a SIBA Business Award so early in their journey has meant to them…
