Established in 2005, Thornbridge brews craft ales and lagers at its brewery at Riverside Works, Bakewell. Beer is brewed for cask and keg supplies to pubs and restaurants, plus bottles and cans for the off-trade in supermarkets and specialist shops. The company exports to around 35 countries around the world. It also operates a chain of pubs plus a large Tap Room on the brewer site - providing beer and pizza to the public.
The £20k decarbonisation grant from Derbyshire Dales District Council helped the purchase with the purchase of a heat recovery system for the main 50hl brewhouse to capture heat from steam created during boiling. Prior to the installation all the heat was lost to the atmosphere.
This has not only reduced both gas costs and CO2 emissions by around 15% (around 66,000kg CO2 a year ) but also improved productivity as hot water and steam are now always available for other processes further down the line. Sales have consequently increased as a result of the new heat recovery suystem.
Jim Harrison (Funder and Chair) says:
The decarbonisation grant from Derbyshire Dales District Council enabled us to proceed with the vapour condenser project, which has been critical to reducing our CO2 emissions and cost of production whilst also creating capacity for growth and extra employment.
