Crowdfunder aiming to improve taproom experience at Stourbridge brewery
A Stourbridge brewery has been inviting supporters to invest in the future of its taproom after launching a Crowdfunding campaign.
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The Crowdfunding campaign has been launched by Green Duck Brewery as a way of getting improvements done on the visitor experience at its taproom at the brewery site at Gainsborough Trading Estate on Rufford Road.
The taproom is currently open two days a week, serving beers brewed in the adjacent brewery, but head brewer and director Alex Hill, who also manages the taproom, said the team at Green Duck had been looking at how they could move the business forward in 2025 and said the taproom kept popping into the conversation.
He said: "The one thing that always was kind of holding us back was the fact that half the unit is a taproom and the other is a brewery and we don't use the taproom more than twice a week due to the noise, as we've only got a glass partition and you can hear everything that is going on next door.
"What we decided we wanted to do was to clad and soundproof between the two and then, as we have an amazing new person working in the kitchen, we wanted to invest more in it as we're only doing pizzas at the moment and we want to be able to do more food.
"That means buying in more equipment and doing more work with the kitchen, which then means we can do more with the taproom and bring more people in as the taproom is where we make the most profit and it's important to keep them coming in there."
Mr Hill said the brewery was looking to raise around £20,000 and, to date, has raised just over £10,000, which allowed it to buy in the materials such as timber and would allow it to build the open plan kitchen.
He said there were rewards available for people who donated to the crowdfunder, which ranged from the chance to win a years worth of comedy tickets for £1 in a raffle to between £18 and £32 for a special crowdfunder beer and £75 for a Brewers Dinner at the taproom.
He said the work could begin, but he wanted to be able to do more and have more people involved in the progress of the taproom as an entertainment and community venue.
He said: "Everyone can have an investment in the future of the taproom and that's why we've started the crowdfunder as people can donate £10 to have their name on a plaque and there are little bits and pieces that we feel are a good price.
"We're just trying to add a bit of fun to it and have people involved in our future plans and we appreciate everyone who has taken part in this and got on board with it."
