Brewery 'alive and well' - Sweeney

A new brewer has joined the West Coast Brewery, showing that the financially struggling company is "alive and well," according to chief executive Paddy Sweeney.

The Westport-based brewery, which owns two restaurant-bars in Christchurch but had to close its bottle store, late last year appealed to shareholders for more money to help pay creditors. West Coast Brewery is also the principal sponsor of the Hokitika Wildfoods Festival.

In a statement yesterday, Mr Sweeney, a former Hokitika man now living on Australia's Gold Coast, said Scottish brewer Andrew Rathband had taken up the reins at the brewery, putting to rest "constant incorrect rumours" that there was trouble in the camp.

"Things have been alive and well at West Coast Brewery."

Mr Rathband, who worked in three large breweries in the United Kingdom, had already made his mark by tweaking and improving the way the Westport brewery operated, Mr Sweeney said.

"We have just had our best February ever and March is shaping up as a big one also. We are more excited about things at present than we have ever been."

Darryl Sweeney, the brewery's New Zealand sales manager, had stepped into the fray at the brewery five weeks ago, and that appointment had been critical to the company meeting its production commitments as the arrival of the new brewer was awaited.

"It has been great preparation for another role we have planned in the company related to a possible future brewery acquisition," Mr Sweeney said.

"Contrary to the ‘scuttlebutt' it was never even a remote possibility that we might close down."

However, he said the past 12 months had been challenging. The company had entered into an informal compromise with creditors to give it time to get capital in place to meet its commitments and move ahead.

He said the company's annual general meeting was approaching and a number of major announcements would be made then.

By Janna Sherman
Greymouth Star