The head brewer and co-founder of London’s Wild Card Brewery has been named as one of Waitrose’s ‘Ten Most Influential Women in Food’. Jaega Wise is the only drinks industry personality in the top ten, though Laura Willoughby, co-founder of mindful drinking movement Club Soda, is on the ‘six to watch’ list. The list was created by an all-female judging panel featuring food producers, commentators…

Southampton-based Unity Brewing Co has closed, as Covid, Brexit and the cost of living crisis continue to hit the brewing industry. The brewery, which was founded in 2016, moved to a larger premises a few months before the first Covid lockdown and founder Jimmy Hatherley (pictured) said the business then faced three years of “enormous trading challenges”. “It is heart-breaking to have to close Unity,”…

Martinique-based GBH has bought UK spirits distributor Mangrove Global. The deal, for an undisclosed sum, sees London-based Mangrove joins Spiribam, which coordinates all of the spirits activities at GBH. John Coe, majority shareholder and co-founder of Mangrove, will leave the business, while Nick Gillett (pictured left), co-founder and current managing director, will remain at the helm. Gillett will lead the distribution of all GBH rum…

Simon Cairns has announced that he will leave the head of drinks role at the Co-op. In a post on LinkedIn, Cairns, who has spent ten years with the retailer, said it is time to “say my farewells to the Co-op and search for new adventures”. He included several career highlights, such as leading his team to “win the International Wine Challenge award for the…

Several more breweries have shuttered, as external headwinds continue to hit the industry. Birmingham’s Dig Brew Co, Bad Seed Brewery in Malton and Bishop Auckland’s Hops and Dots are the latest to close, in what has been a devastating few months for craft beer. The team behind Dig Brew Co announced on Instagram that they “cannot carry on any longer and we will no longer…

Hertfordshire-based wine merchant and producer Tring Winery will be closing on December 10, as independent retailers feel the pressure of rising costs. Opened in February 2020, Tring Winery was shortlisted for the Newcomer of the Year award at the 2022 Drinks Retailing Awards. Co-founder Alex Taylor announced the closure on Twitter this morning, attributing “non-stop increases in bills and materials” to the decision.  “The…

“Wine as a category is often very confusing,” says Ben Cahill, Co-op’s buyer for sparkling and France.  For Cahill, who has worked as a Co-op buyer since 2008, making wine accessible to a wider audience is one of the buying team’s main focus areas.  “We’re focused on making it as easy as possible for people to shop,” he explains at the Co-op’s Christmas tasting…