Charles Wells has changed its name to Wells & Co and revealed it will open a new brewing facility in Bedford next summer.

The new site will have the ability to brew up to 30,000HL per annum, which will produce its Dry Hop Lager and Triple Hop IPA beers as well as scaled up versions of its Wandering Brewer collaboration numbers.

The facility will also house a pub-restaurant, retail shop, coffee roastery, company offices and a visitor centre.

Brewpoint will be located on a gateway site to the north-west of Bedford at the meeting of the A6 and the northern Bedford bypass, making it readily accessible to a wide area of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. 

Justin Phillimore, chief executive of Wells & Co, said: “After 142 years and five generations of family involvement, we have not embarked on this lightly, but we feel it embodies the change of direction we have taken as a business.

“This includes the significant investment we are making in our pubs and the creation of a beautifully designed new home capable of producing a range of beer styles that we would not have dreamed of ten years ago.  It is a statement of confidence about our future direction as a company.”

The new site has been designed with sustainability in mind with solar cells on the roof, solar shading, air source heating and cooling alongside a highly efficient modern brewing plant. The car park will incorporate nine car charging points.

Once open in summer 2020, the site will employ over 85 people in the town as well as many more in pubs across the local area and France.