Last week I was able to visit another of our local craft breweries.
Established in 2020, IVO Brewery is a microbrewery based in Somersham, founded by next door neighbours Charlie Abbott (pictured) and Jason Jones.
They’ve recently been able to relocate the brewery to a nearby farm and hope to grow the business further. It’s fantastic to hear the brewery’s plans in the face of difficult market conditions.
It was hugely informative to speak to Charlie about the challenges faced by smaller breweries within the industry. We discussed the forthcoming budget and some of the steps the Government could take to help small businesses and the brewing industry.
I spoke in Parliament recently about the impact of the Small Producer Relief on our local wines and spirits producers, but speaking to Charlie he highlighted the lack of clarity around the forthcoming 2027 Deposit Return Scheme and the difficulty Independent brewers face in accessing pubs under current PubCos.
There is a disproportionately small number of ‘Free Houses’ in Cambridgeshire compared to elsewhere in the country. As such, large breweries control much of the access to pubs and bars, by installing their cellars and pumps have in return for exclusive access. I have ant to see better opportunities for our local brewers and have previously asked the Government what assessment they’ve made of introducing Scotland’s Guest Beer Arrangement in England and Wales, which would allow better market access. You can read the Government’s response at the link below:
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/.../2025.../48624
