Andrew Reeve’s Craft Beer Business Honest Brew Delivers

A year ago from his small London apartment, New Zealander Andrew Reeve (pictured far left) launched his startup business Honest Brew. Now, he makes and sells his own craft beer and also runs a subscription service for customers who want beers delivered to their homes, every month.

By its very nature, craft beer is usually only sold in the area where it’s produced – limiting the number of people who can enjoy it. Reeve is on a mission to make it accessible to more people – “online, with a really personalised service”.

The business, which started with just seven breweries on its books in January 2014, now has more than 50. Its success can be attributed, at least in part, to clever marketing.

The business, which received an initial cash injection from the government’s Start Up Loans initiative, has used a combination of online and offline strategies to develop sales. “It has been about getting in front of people, especially in the early days,” Reeve says. “We go to the London Brewers’ Market; we are there selling the beer and talking to people about craft beer.”

Honest Brew has a live chat service that customers can contact through a pop-up box on its website. “Hey I’m Frank. Talk to me about beer”, is the welcome message – “Frank” being a play on the word honest.

“We do a bit of Facebook advertising, but rather than being just about selling, we put our brand out there in a more amusing, cheeky way,” Reeve says.

Late last year, Honest Brew secured £250,000 in funding from food industry veterans and angel investors.

Original article by Kitty Dann, The Guardian, March 2, 2015.