The founder of Speyside Brewery, Seb Jones, has announced he is moving on from the drinks industry.
He is leaving his current role as managing director by mutual agreement to allow him to research and develop his next project.
The brewery was founded by Seb in 2012 and closed as the Covid pandemic spread across the country. It was revived in 2022 with investment from new partners. However, Seb says it is time to move on.
Speaking yesterday, Seb said: “This last decade or so at the brewery has been a blast, we’ve had a lot of fun, made some great beer, and garnered a humbling amount of local and national support .
Bigger market presence
“I’m extremely proud of how Speyside Brewery has established itself in Forres, and everyone in the town seems to be proud to have its own brewery. I love that about this place.”
“The brewery has a loyal customer base, which I’m sure will go from strength to strength with a great team as the new owners establish a bigger market presence.”
The brewery was sold to its new owners in early 2022, and since then has occupied larger premises in Forres. A new team has been employed, and increased capacity introduced to cope with demand.
While remaining tight-lipped about his next project, he was clear it’s not in the alcohol industry.
“I’ve met and dealt with some great people in the drinks industry, but I’m ready to move on. “The project I’m working on needs quite a bit of research and development, which I cannot do alongside my commitment to Speyside Brewery.
“I have great confidence it will do fine without me, and I wish it and all the team great success.”
Seb established Speyside Brewery in 2012, the first brewery in Moray for a decade. Its beers were named after local icons to help promote the area, and in 2015 partnered with Glenfiddich Distillery to produce a pioneering beer-enhanced whisky that sold globally.
New owners
The Covid pandemic forced a hibernation of the brewery, which was sold to its new owners, Moray businesswomen Katalin and Naidene Urquhart.
The pair thanked Seb for his contribution in setting the brewery up in its new location.
“It’s been invaluable to have Seb on board to get Speyside Brewery going again after the Covid-induced hiatus,” said Katalin.
Naidene added: “The new team are working well and we have an exciting year ahead of us with new packaging and beers being released. We wish Seb well with his next venture.”