1. Introducing Church Hanbrewery
Church Hanbrewery is a family-owned handcraft nano-brewery located in rural Oxfordshire only a few miles from Oxford. The company has been trading since February 2016 and is currently selling around 1,500 litres of beer per month.
The company’s products and practices are based on three main concepts:
Principle 1 - Ars Gratia Artis (Art for the Sake of Art) - we think brewing is an art and a way of life and their goal is to brew special beers with strong personality that are exciting and stimulating. More than and beyond bland lagers, all our beers are quirky and full of flavour.
Principle 2 - Multum in Parvo (Much in Little) - we are true purists who believe real craft is in achieving much with little. That is why they add only a few and the freshest ingredients in our beers. All beers are produced with local water from Oxfordshire that brings an individual character to the products. No chemical is added in.
Principle 3 - Cloudiness is Purity! - All beers are 100% pure,
unpasteurised, with no clarifying agent, and are unfiltered. Proudly pure,
cloudy, unfiltered, and carbonated naturally (also known as bottled
conditioned).
In summary, Church Hanbrewery beers are modern yet brewed as they should be, like in the old days.
Coat of Arms
Church Hanbrewery coat of arms tells our story and what the brewery
stands for.
England flag - born, bred, and located in the heart of England, Church Hanbrewery is English by heart and nature. We are true believers of local produce and we maximise use of English ingredients. Although Church Hanbrewery have an international range of beers, because all beers are brewed in England with English ingredients (where available), we can wholeheartedly say all our beers are English.
Brazil flag – Church Hanbrewery founders are real beer enthusiasts who love all beers wherever they come from and regardless of type, as long the beers are good. The reference to the Brazilian flag represents the founders’ international background and the knowledge acquired from travelling and tasting some of the best beers around the world.
Company Logo
Church Hanbrewery logo represents where the company was born and its spirit of artisanship.
Church Hanbrewery is a small family run brewery located in a quaint little village only a stone’s throw from Oxford City centre. Every beer is handcrafted in very small batches (currently either 250 or 50 litres) and every batch is carefully inspected daily.
Now, Church Hanbrewery are producing around 1,500 litres per month. We plan to expand the business slowly, in a controlled manner and only when necessary. A simple rule will always apply: first quality, second demand, and last growth.
The beers are bottled and labelled by hand, one by one. Every batch is carefully checked, tasted, and approved by the master brewer before release. Beers are aged for a minimum period of six weeks before sale. The beers continue to mature in the bottle and to develop their character gradually. Patience is key.
When faced with the question on how to guarantee consistency and that every batch is the same, the brewers respond:
“As true artisans, we are always developing our craft and we would like to believe we are getting better over time, but our quest for perfection can never be achieved. This spirit of craftsmanship and search for perfection is our structural foundation. Consistency for us is to be consistently good.”
2. Introducing Teardrop
Over the last years, we have come to notice that, as much as crafting beer, we love pouring pints and reaching out to our customers directly. Last year, we set-up a mobile bar service that was seen in many local food and music events in Oxfordshire.
Our teardrop trailer - mobile bar
The mobile bar was great fun and we have enjoyed it very much. We will continue to operate the trailer-bar in the future. But we are also ready for the next step. Now we are planning on opening our first bottle shop and nano-pub in the Oxford Covered Market called Teardrop.
Teardrop name is borrowed from our mobile-bar service, but we think the name is also appropriate for our cute little pub in the Covered Market - with only 13m2, it will be one of the smallest in the world, certainly the smallest in Oxford. Same size as a medium trailer.
Leveraging on the privileged location in Oxford City centre, on Oxford Covered Market’s heritage and reputation, and on Church Hanbrewery’s exquisite beer selection, Teardrop will offer a selective range of premium quality products to be consumed onsite or offsite.
Teardrop main product will be draught beer served for local consumption inside the premise. To keep the range interesting and attract new and recurrent visitors, at any point in time the nano-pub will have a good range of different flavours on tap, with a mixed of cask real ales and keg beers.
The concept shop will also be the main point of sales and display of Church Hanbrewery range of products that include bottled beer, mini kegs, growlers, etc.
Respect for the Heritage
The Covered Market was originally established as a trading centre of local produce - farmers, grocers, butchers, fishmongers, all could reach out to their market in a vibrant hub in the city centre. Over time, due to economic , social and cultural pressures, the market changed and a new generation of businesses and charity shops took over.
By setting up a concept shop and nano-pub in the Covered Market, Church Hanbrewery will contribute at protecting a little of the market heritage, helping to preserve its original purpose and character. After all, Church Hanbrewery is a small local business located in a farm in Oxfordshire.
A Unique Experience
We think, Teardrop will provide a truly unique shopping experience within Oxford, adding to the diversity and vibrancy of the Covered Market’s retail footprint. The usage will complement existing food and non-food businesses within the Covered Market, without crossing over or directly competing with product lines, and through Church Hanbrewery’s loyal local customer base, the nano-pub and concept store is expected to contribute positively to footfall.
Instead of serving cooked food, we will focus on beer and other drinks, and we will encourage customers to bring food purchased in other stalls in the market into the nano-pub at no cost. We plan to work with the other food shop owners, to offer attractive "food here - and - drink there" deals to consumers and improve their experience whilst visiting the market.
3. The Positive Impact of the Project
We are pledging support from Oxford citizens, Oxford Covered Market visitors and beer enthusiasts, who would like to have the opportunity to consume a decent pint in a quirky little pub whilst visiting the market.
We believe the shop can be a business venture with positive impact to our community. It will contribute by:
- creating new jobs in the city centre and in the brewery - some jobs can be filled with people with difficult access to employment
- improving the tourist experience in Oxford, offering another great shopping experience and drinking venue
- attracting new visitors to the market and to the city centre, helping other shops in the market and in the city
- protecting the market heritage
The funds raised will provide great support to this new venture and will be used for equipment and general shop fit-out. The founders have sufficient funds to cover the initial set-up costs, initial running costs and basic shop fit-out. But a lot more could be achieved in the short term with some external support.
Crowd funders will be given credits in the shop - same as their donations - to be exchanged for goods at a discounted price for after the launch of Teardrop.
Alcohol sales license has been granted! All funding is now subject only to planning application approval, which is progressing well with application approval planner for the 14th of December.