Breweries under pressure in credit crunch

July 2, 2009: A Channel 4 documentary has highlighted how tough times are for even multi-award-winning brewers in the UK post-credit crunch.

In Gerry's Big Decision, successful businessman Gerry Robinson looked at Itchen Valley Brewery, in Hampshire, and O'Hanlon's Brewery, in Devon, to see if they could be helped with an investment from his personal fortune.

In the end he did, in fact, invest in both businesses — around £150,000 in both cases — but the process at which the point of investment was arrived at proved very interesting.

In both cases he persuaded, respectively, the girlfriend and wife of the owners of Itchen Valley and O'Hanlon's to take on the day-to-day running of the businesses.

At O'Hanlon's, founder John O'Hanlon, who moved to the West Country with his wife nine years ago from London, was persuaded to take on the sales role he was so clearly made for.

It wasn't clear exactly what Itchen Valley owner Malcolm Grey's new role would be, but the impressive given by brewer Rob was that anyone would have been an improvement.

A follow-up programme would be interesting to see how the changes have affected the companies' fortunes.