Scottish social enterprise Brewgooder is celebrating after securing a national deal with Asda to stock their Clean Water Lager in 229 Asda stores across the UK.
The Edinburgh-based social enterprise was one of the first to take part in Asda's Social Enterprise Supplier Academy, a UK first which launched earlier this year in partnership with Social Investment Scotland (SIS).
The four day workshop offered guidance to entrepreneurs on how to work with large retailers along with tips on how to increase the availability of social enterprise products on supermarket shelves.
Funded through the proceeds from Asda's carrier bag charge in Scotland, the Academy has helped Brewgooder to secure their first national supermarket listing with the retailer.
All proceeds from the larger will go towards helping provide clean water to over one million people around the world.
Alan Mahon, founder of Brewgooder said: "When we applied to attend the Asda Social Enterprise Development Academy, we could never have envisaged that just six months later we'd have our products on shelf.
“The support from the team at Asda, from senior management to the buyers, has been transformational for Brewgooder. As one of the leading supermarkets, it’s a large route to market and a fantastic platform to get our message and our beers out to customers. With the volume of scale involved, it will accelerate our impact and the number of clean water projects we can support."
Through the Academy, Brewgooder received access to mentoring provided by Asda’s senior team and access to a £100,000 loan from the Asda Community Capital fund to support the business growth, job creation and acceleration of their clean water impact.
Allan Miller, Asda’s Senior Director for Scotland said: “Asda’s partnership with Social Investment Scotland represents a significant commitment to develop the UK’s social enterprise sector and create a long term sustainable impact within communities across the country.
“It’s fantastic to see the skills and support delivered through the Academy have resulted in a listing for Brewgooder. By harnessing the power of our retail experience and expertise, along with our strong store estate and online shopping division, we can help social enterprises to access the large retail market.
"Investing in social entrepreneurs is an innovative way for Asda to ensure that our customers' money, raised through the carrier bag charge, is continually reinvested in communities and delivers long-term positive benefits for Scotland."
Alastair Davis, SIS chief executive, added: “By promoting social enterprise products as viable alternatives to their commercial counterparts, we have a fantastic opportunity to significantly increase the revenues raised by the sector and, in turn, create much more sustainable and long term social impacts for our communities up and down the country.”
The above article by Aimee Robinson first published on bqlive.co.uk in Nov, 2016.
