As well as running their highly successful ETM Group of 14 award-winning pubs and restaurants, mostly, in London – including the Gun, the Chiswell Street Dining Rooms, the Botanist and the Cadogan Arms – brothers, Ed and Tom Martin, have now ventured out in to making their own beer and the Long Arm Brewing Company business.
It is certainly an advantage to have your own pub and restaurant chain when starting up your microbrewery, and whilst their range of beers are available in all their outlets, Ed and Tom Martin have already built up a strong network of business with pubs outside their own group and see that as the real driving force for the growth of the Long Arm Brewing Co business. Here they explain their strategy behind the business. What was your inspiration for setting up Long Arm Brewing Company? “It has been a lifetime ambition of ours, beginning with spending a lot of time in pubs from a young age. With our experience of opening and running ETM our desire to do our own brewing grew and grew, and then the right space came up at the right time. We operate out of a small microbrewery in Ealing, which stands on the grounds of an 18th century brewhouse, the Lewis Furnell Brewhouse, and sell to both the on and off-trade.” So, how’s business going? “Really well. Harry Farnsworth, our sales ambassador, joined us in March and we are delighted for Long Arm Brewery to be getting out into the market. We had our first tap takeover at The Rake last month (0wned by Utobeer) and have just opened our summer pop-up with Jugged Hare (part of ETM Group) on their outdoor terrace. Our beers are available at all our ETM venues, as well as a number of outlets including the Flight Club in Shoreditch, and can also be bought from Majestic Wine Stores in west London.”
The first three beers from Long Arm breweryTell us about your beers “The core range includes The Lucky Penny, a pale ale; The Birdie Flipper, a red ale; the IPA-OK, an India Pale Ale; and Shadow Wolf, a stout; as well as limited edition and seasonal specials.” Do you think your experience in the hospitality trade has helped in developing Long Arm Brewing Co?“Having opened 14 pubs, restaurants and bars both in and outside London with ETM Group, we like to think that we know something about beer and are very excited to now be brewing our own. A lot of time and thought has gone into each individual brew to make it unique to the London market. We will be continuing to create seasonal specials and further develop our craft beers as the Long Arm Brewing Co. brand evolves. Who do you see as your key customers? “Anyone! Our goal is to make craft beer accessible to all. We take as much pleasure in converting a lager drinker as we do in pleasing a beer connoisseur. Our driving force is that Long Arm beers are always within reach. As well as convenient availability, this also applies to the taste profiles. We are not trying to create niche beers to serve only the hardcore beer drinkers. Our aim is to create beers that are appealing to everyone.” Do you think there is still life in the craft beer trend?“Absolutely! The level of competition is simply driving up quality. Long may it continue.”
Eye-catching pumps are all part of the imagery for the Long Arm BreweryWhat’s driving the trend?“It is an exciting, vibrant, dynamic market place. Our ETM experience showed us that there is a demand for interesting, non-insipid flavoursome beers.” Do you think the “craft” concept is being overused, and that customers will become cynical as even the biggest breweries seem to be cashing in? “Potentially. The government need to continue supporting small volume, genuinely craft breweries. At the end of the day, customers vote with their feet (or mouth in this instance) so you will only survive if you are brewing genuinely great beer. Venues have a huge amount of choice available to them so will only choose to serve the best.” What’s your bestseller – and any plans for other new launches in the pipeline? “Our best seller is IPA OK [a 4.5% AVV Indian Pale Ale, a full flavour, natural beer with the addition of fruity hops.] And coming up is our Summer special made with elderflower and champagne yeast to be served over ice. We are also developing the recipe from our 100th brew to add a double IPA to our core range – coming later this year.” Have you invested much on marketing? What has proved most successful?“We have focused most of our investment on branding, exciting attention-grabbing POS and a website. Social media definitely helps build your brand profile but it is not the biggest revenue driver by any stretch.” What can bars do to encourage customers to try new, unheard of brands? “Offer sampling when you see a customer hesitating. Availability of smaller serves to encourage people to move between different styles. Also, consider holding tasting events with suppliers.” What are your long term plans?“To have created one of London’s premier craft breweries.”
