Pictured above: Chris Richards from Nutbrook Brewery and
Steve Croot from Croots Farm Shop
Two Derbyshire businesses have raised their glasses to the Food
and Drink iNet after being brought together in a successful venture
by their local iNet business adviser.
Croots Farm Shop and Nutbrook Brewery have worked together to
create a range of beers exclusively for the Duffield farm shop.
The beers have since gone on to become best sellers in Croots,
and now a whole range of ales has been created especially for the
shop by Nutbrook Brewery.
Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire business adviser for the Food and
Drink iNet Paul Sheppard played a key role in bringing the two
firms together after learning that Croots was keen to expand its
range of regional ales and that Nutbrook Brewery, in West Hallam,
had a 'personalised' beer service for retailers and pubs.
"One of the aims of the Food and Drink iNet is to create a
network of support for businesses working in the sector, using
specialist advisers who have in-depth knowledge of the local food
and drink sector," said Paul Sheppard.
"When I discovered that the regional beers at Croots were
selling well, I put Steve Croot in touch with Nutbrook Brewery,
which has a personalised beer service for shops and pubs, and Steve
commissioned two ales for Croots, which he has since upped to
four.
"I'm delighted to hear that the Food and Drink iNet is helping
two Derbyshire businesses to develop in this way."
Steve Croot, who launched Croots in 2008, said: "The
personalised beers commissioned for Croots from Nutbrook Brewery
have gone down very well. We started with two ales, Pig in a Bottle
and Croots Shire Ale, and we've also recently launched Ewe Drink
and Cow Juice, so we now have a whole farmyard of Croots beers
which are popular with customers."
Chris Richards, head brewer at Nutbrook Brewery, said: "The
design-a-beer service run by Nutbrook Brewery is perfect for a farm
shop like Croots, and teaming up with Croots, thanks to the Food
and Drink iNet, has been very beneficial for us. It's helped to
raise our profile; it's got people knowing what we are doing, and
it been very good for us."
The Food and Drink iNet is aiming to foster innovation in the
region's food and drink sector by encouraging businesses to turn
new ideas into new business through the development of new
technologies and products. It's also hoping to stimulate new
processes, services and ways of working in the industry to help
boost the sector.
Funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda), the Food and
Drink iNet is managed by a consortium, led by the Food & Drink
Forum and including the Food Processing Faraday Partnership,
Nottingham Trent University, the University of Lincoln, and the
University of Nottingham.
The Food and Drink iNet can work with small and medium sized
businesses as well as larger companies in the sector across the
East Midlands.