A THRIVING global homebrew manufacturer, wholesaler and distributor has expanded its presence in Deeside with a new facility that has now become its European headquarters.
Bevie Handcraft UK's new 30,000 sq ft premises on Deeside Industrial Park was officially opened on on September 15, by Alyn and Deeside MP Mark Tami.
David Ditcham and Jon Spencer watch on as MP Mark Tami opens their Deeside site.
Mr Tami was delighted to receive a tour of the distribution centre and offices and see the astounding range of products supplied by Bevie from the unit. He spoke with the workforce as he was guided by general manager Dave Ditcham, warehouse manager Jon Spencer, quality and safety technical manager Alan Owen, sales manager Mark Maguire, customer and consumer experience manager Kelsey Davis and brand manager Samuel Williams.
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A short opening ceremony was held, with Mr Tami cutting a ribbon at the entry to the Bevie base and unveiling a commemorative plaque.
He said: "Bevie's an impressive company that has achieved incredible growth during a difficult time for business.
"Bevie has kept a low profile but it's now quite rightly sharing its achievements and the positive impact it's had on employment and the economy locally. The team here has a fantastic ethos and I look forward to seeing Bevie go from strength to strength."
Dave McCormick (CEB), David Ditcham and Jon Spencer (Bevie), MP Mark Tami, Brendan Oldfield and James Swatman (Alphastor).
During lockdown, a time that was challenging for many businesses, Bevie thrived - seeing incredible growth. Now that the red tape of Brexit is resolved, the firm found that it can serve its European and Scandinavian customers more quickly and cost effectively from Deeside than it could from the Netherlands. It consequently took the decision to close its Netherlands base and move the Deeside operation from their 20,000 sq ft premises to a new 30,000 sq ft facility.
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General manager Dave Ditcham credits the Bevie UK team and local contractors Alphastor and CEB Services with helping to get the facility from a bare building to a functioning distribution centre in a short time frame, on budget and ahead of schedule.
Brand manager Samuel Williams added: "Homebrewing has moved on from its 70s reputation and - especially during the cost-of-living crisis - customers are enjoying the creativity of making high quality, delicious alcoholic beverages from home. So much so that we've recently had our best UK week of trading in our 30-year history.
MP Mark Tami with the team at Bevie.
"We chose to relocate our European operations to Deeside because of the enormous skill base available locally and opportunities for greater collaboration with the entire Bevie team including research and development technicians and support functions, ultimately improving our product offering and customer service."
Customer and consumer experience manager Kelsey Davis said: "The move sets a solid foundation to continue to delight our customers across all of the UK and Europe and we are optimistic that being based in Deeside will provide even greater opportunities locally and a clear platform for growth."
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