Crowdfunding success accelerates Innis & Gunn Beer Kitchen rollout

The campaign on Crowdcube, which launched on 1 November, has been extended after it smashed its £1m target in three days. 

Innis & Gunn founder and master brewer, Dougal Sharp, said he had been overwhelmed by the response to the business's first equity crowdfund and had decided to continue it beyond the target. 

He said: “Raising £1 million in 72 hours is no small feat and has left us in this incredible position of being able keep it open for longer to allow more investors to own a part of our business. 

"By allowing more people to invest, we’ll be able to expand our plans for The Beer Kitchen to bring forward the schedule for opening in England and North America. These are things that have been on our dream list for some time, so making these possible sooner is exciting for us, and for our new shareholders.”

Beer Kitchen​

Innis & Gunn currently operates two of its bar and restaurant concept - Beer Kitchen - in Edinburgh and Dundee with a third due to open in St. Andrews, Scotland this month. The brewer plans to open a fourth site in Glasgow next year and its first outside the UK - in Toronto, Canada, as well as two in England, taking its food and beer matching concept further afield. 

Money raised through the crowdfunding campaign, which was set up to raise £1m in equity by selling 2 per cent of its share capital, will also be used to triple beer production at the Inveralmond Brewery in Perth, Scotland, now to be named The Innis & Gunn Brewery, over the next two years. The brewer also plans to install a barrel ageing hall and new filtration technology. 

The company, founded in 2003, turned over £12.5m last year, a rise of 36 per cent in three years. With the capital raised for future plans it hopes to double its turnover to £25m over the next three years.