Help Exe Valley Brewery Build a Beer Garden!

Aim

We believe beer brings people together – Help Exe Valley Brewery build a beer garden to do just that!

Here at Exe Valley Brewery, we love beer. We also love Devon, and the beautiful Exe Valley that surrounds us. And we adore our local community. We are so lucky to have these wonderful things, and we want to create an inviting garden space to share them; hosting people for tastings, community events or just a pint!

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Our Vision

We have a space at the back of our brewery that was previously a storage yard for our casks, and after a productive lockdown clearing and tidying, we started to see the potential of the space as more than just storage... 

We want to create a welcoming, relaxed, comfortable space that people can really unwind in. We'll use natural and recycled materials to create something that reflects and amplifies our location and nestles into our beautiful surroundings; from beer barrel tables and seating, to wooden benches; an outdoor kitchen area for pizza or bbq nights, and a raised deck to really take in the Exe Valley views. (See sketch below)

And this isn't just about people coming for a pint (although, we can't wait to do more of that!) but we want to create a flexible space that can benefit our community. A place where groups can come together and meet - whether it's the local theatre group planning their next production or hosting a pot-luck supper club for the people of Silverton - we'll provide the beer, everyone brings a dish, and we all get to know our neighbours better. 

We can even host events - mini beer festivals, live music or even a comedy night!

And with everything we do, we want to connect and include other independent producers and makers in the local area; from the incredible pies from the Exe Valley Farm Shop, to the beautiful pottery of RAMP studios. We'd like to incorporate and find space for as many local producers as possible, so that the beer garden becomes a real showcase of the best the Exe Valley has to offer.

Ultimately, we want the space to not just be ours, but the community's - something that benefits everyone, and makes them proud to have us on their doorstep. 

Our Story

Covid has been a tough time for us as new brewery owners. We bought the brewery the day before we went into Lockdown 2 (1st November 2020), and despite being fully aware of the risks involved, we hadn't quite anticipated another six months of pubs being closed! 

We've worked hard to come up with ways to keep the brewery going, and are really proud to have kept the brewery open, brewing and solvent during the past six months. It's been an interesting start to our journey, but we're grateful to be here and still so excited for the future!

Home delivery and gifts have kept us going, (and we are so grateful for everyone who's bought our beer for themselves or as gifts  - we wouldn't still be here without you!) but we need to keep developing the brewery for us to really thrive. 

We bought the brewery because we believe in great local produce, but also because we were keen to invest in and be part of our local community. Silverton is the most wonderful village, and the community spirit is really special. One of our goals was to find ways that the brewery could offer more to the people of Silverton, and at the same time provide new opportunities for the brewery and we think we have the answer, with the Exe Valley Brewery Beer Garden!

And with this location, we feel like it really would be a beautiful spot to come visit!

Why We Need Your Help

While we've managed to keep the brewery going, with the costs of brewing beer and paying the tax-man, we just don't have the funds to really transform the our storage yard into the garden space we want it to be. We've done as much as possible ourselves, but if we want to take the next step, we'll need some help from you!

But we aren't asking you to donate - we have put together an amazing selection of rewards in exchange for your support. Whether your a beer lover, or not, and wherever you are in the world, we have something to say thank you. 

What's on offer

We have come up with a whole host of rewards and ways you can support; from beer (of course!) to merchandise, from being part of the build and some unique brewery experiences.

These can be bought for yourself, but also make an amazing gift and can operate as gift certificates too, perfect for dad for father's day! (We can provide vouchers/ certificates for you)

If you're not a beer drinker, you can still support us with merchandise rewards, or your very own plank on our deck!

All of the rewards will be valid for 2 years to make sure they can be used as easily as possible. (We are happy to extend this as well if needed for Covid reasons, although we obviously hope that this won't be the case!)

We can also ship lots of the rewards too, so even if you aren't local to Devon, you can still support us, and we hope come visit us soon! (Shipping costs are not included.)

What We Need

As we said, we've made a great start having cleared the space, and tidied our side access, plus we are already fully licensed - so all we need to do now is landscape it, and furnish it. This would ideally include:

- Levelling the space (£1,500)

- Re-surfacing it (gravel/bark) (£3,000)

- Building a raised deck (£4,000)

- Building an outdoor bar & kitchen (£3,500)

- Furniture (benches, tables, umbrellas, heaters) (£6,000)

- Planters & Decor (£2,000)

- WC, Plumbing & Electric (£3,500)

- Storage Shed (£3,000)

- Marketing the space & the business (£1,000)

How it will work

The aim is to raise £27,500 to create the perfect space. If we can't raise that much, we will still convert the space, and will just work within whatever budget has been contributed, getting creative with suppliers, doing more of the work ourselves and adapting the plans. 

In the dream scenario that we get more than our target, we will invest the extra in other facilities, additional furniture or landscaping, and additional marketing for the brewery.

Timing:

We'd love to raise the money by mid-June, so we can get the garden up and running in July. It's a tight turnaround, but having it ready for the summer is the dream!

Transparency:

We are happy to answer any questions and give more information on any aspect. Please do get in touch with us if you want to talk about the project.

Open to ideas!

If you have any thoughts or suggestions for the beer garden, we'd love to hear them! Similarly, if you have any recommendations for suppliers or would like to volunteer to help us build it, we'd love to hear from you!

THANK YOU

Whether or not you support us financially, thank you so much for reading our story. Please do share with whoever you think might be interested, and we hope you can come visit us in the garden soon.

Libby, Kevin & James

Team EVB Xx

This project successfully funded on 8th June 2021