Independent Scottish craft brewer Harviestoun has started the first phase of a strategic investment programme at its Alva site, adding new warehouse and office space alongside site improvements and continued upgrades to brewing infrastructure.
The initial £500,000 spend will deliver a new 600sq ft warehouse and additional office space. After a decade renting warehouse capacity and holding extra stock in external facilities in Glasgow, consolidating storage and logistics back on site is designed to improve efficiency and create the headroom to scale production in Harviestoun’s next growth stage.
The investment is aimed at strengthening performance across retail, hospitality and international markets and comes at a challenging time for Scotland’s brewing sector, following BrewDog’s sale to private equity investors and C&C Group buying Innis & Gunn out of administration.
Alongside added capacity, the brewery will expand its range with more than five new beers this year, including a pale ale, brown ale and nitro stout, plus lower-alcohol and alcohol-free options launching ahead of the summer.
Harviestoun currently produces just under 10,000 hectolitres of beer annually and plans to grow output towards 20,000 hectolitres over time. Annual turnover stands at £2.2m, with forecasts of £2.5m this year and £3.1m next year.
The brewer is best known for Schiehallion, its flagship craft lager that now accounts for around two-thirds of production, alongside Bitter & Twisted and speciality beers such as Ola Dubh, a stout matured in Highland Park whisky casks.
