We started life in a shipping container in a Tottenham nightclub carpark in 2016. We like to concentrate on big flavours but always with an eye on balance and drinkability. We've never had big financial backing, but that's taught us to value the important things; making the best beer we possibly can, building relationships across the industry and trying to do the right thing.
In Autumn 2017 we moved to Bermondsey, and had a magical couple of summers in the heart of London beer. Things were going fantastically, and we planned to expand in October 2020, into a brand new second space in a different city. This may still happen someday! However...
Last year turned out to be a very difficult year for us, as of course it was for people and businesses all over the world. We went from planning our big new opening, to trying to work out how we could cobble enough money together to pay the rent in our existing space. We needed to think quickly.
Having reluctantly moved out of our brewery/taproom site in Bermondsey, we have diversified, partnered up on a brewpub - The Grosvenor Arms - in Brixton, and opened an immediately successful retail shop in Crystal Palace.
Due to the uncertainty around pub openings though, and the associated and continual loss of revenue, we have to open a second shop almost immediately in order to survive as a business. Shops such as ours seem to be thriving whilst so many in our industry sadly struggle, and it seems like a no-brainer to double down on this approach.
We're confident of the new shop's ability to thrive in this new world in which we find ourselves, and its sustainable nature aiding returning the business back into the healthy position it was; it's just that we don't have the luxury of unlimited reserves of cash and urgently need some help getting it up and running.
Our combination of outstanding beer, personal, friendly service, an eye for detail and a nerdy obsession with technology will always be a winner, and we're confident of replicating our shop's success wherever we open. We've earmarked several sites in great areas that we think would be beneficial to ourselves and the local communities, and the new shop will crucially create much-needed jobs during a horrible time for the retail and hospitality industries.
We've always stayed away from crowdfunding before, thinking that we'd save it until we truly needed it; we'd rather pay for our ventures with our own money, not yours. Now, though, it's sink or swim. Affinity has been in operation for close to five years, and we're not ready to let it go just yet.
Your help would mean the world to us.
Thanks so much for reading, and please stay safe and well. X
