A brewery based in the heart of Malvern has won contracts to stock its real ales and lagers on supermarket shelves after securing funding to scale up its business.

The Friday Beer Company has been a favourite with real ale enthusiasts across the country since its launch in 2011, but now, after securing funding from the Worcestershire Business Loan Fund, they have been able to tap into a new market.

Local supermarket chains Co-op, Morrisons and Waitrose have been won over by The Friday Beer Company’s bottled range, which you will now be able find on their shelves in and around Malvern.

Gerald Williams, one of three Directors at The Friday Beer Company, said: “It was our aspiration to scale up the business and increase our brewing capacity. Although our manual bottling method could process up to 1,500 bottles per day, this wasn’t fast enough and we realised we needed to improve this.

“It was at this point that we approached the Worcestershire Business Loan Fund through BCRS Business Loans. They were able to provide us with a business loan to secure our cashflow situation while we outsourced our bottling process to a contractor. As a result, we now have the capacity to produce up to 4,500 bottles per day,” noted Gerald.

The Worcestershire Business Loan Fund supports the growth of viable businesses across Worcestershire, offering loans from £10,000 up to £50,000 over a 3-year term. This funding initiative is run in conjunction with Worcestershire County Council and is delivered by BCRS Business Loans.

Angie Preece, Business Development Manager at BCRS Business Loans, said: “Small businesses are at the heart of what we do, and we are committed to ensuring that no viable business is left unsupported. We want SMEs to know that we are here to help make their dreams a reality; even if they have been unable to access finance from traditional lenders. We believed in The Friday Beer Company as soon as they approached us and we are delighted with the success they have had since. The future looks incredibly bright.”

Lorna Jeynes, the Business Growth Manager at Worcestershire County Council, who co-financed the loan with BCRS said; “Gerald and the team at Friday Beer are great ambassadors for small business. It is always fantastic to see people following their growth ambitions and the Loan from BCRS has helped them achieve their aspirations and scale up production– it has been great to see their products on the shelves in big supermarkets.

This is at the heart of what we do, with the Council being committed to being ‘Open for Business’ and seeking to enhance the prosperity of the County”.

Gerald concluded: “We would definitely recommend the Worcestershire Business Loan Fund and BCRS Business Loans to any growing business. The process was straight-forward and we were able to discuss everything face-to-face with Angie.”

Worcestershire based businesses looking to access finance can approach BCRS Business Loans by submitting an enquiry form at www.bcrs.org.uk or calling 0345 313 8410.