The head-office team has grown over three-fold during the past five years, reflecting the success of the dynamic and expanding business which has seen consistent year on year growth of around 25% throughout this period.

“We have an expansion plan in place which will involve a new office rebuild and an increase in tank space and brewing capacity. Plans are in place to double production in the next three to four years to 100,000 hectolitres,” he explains. 

Wattam says: “Quality and consistency are at the forefront of our thoughts. All our beers are consistent and we certainly don’t skimp on the hops!! We may not be the cheapest brewery but we pride ourselves on the quality of our products and hopefully the many national and international accolades are testament to this.”

For Wattam, this drive for quality and consistency is based on putting out a quality product, staying competitive, and ensuring the business remains healthy.

“The cask ale market continues to grow and the number of breweries but inevitably there may be a few casualties on the way. The number of pubs is still in decline and there just won’t be enough space on the bar for everyone. Hence our quest to produce the best beers we can, he adds.

And while the brewery puts a great deal of attention into brewing its beers, the same can be said for the branding, too.

“At the moment a number of people have input into branding and product development. It’s lead by the marketing department but also includes input from the brewing team and feedback from the sales team,” says Wattam.

He adds: “It’s important to get an idea of what’s happening in the market but we also need to know what hop availability will be. We work with a local freelance designer (Chris Turpin) who has worked for us for many years and is very good at interpreting our ideas and understands the Oakham Ales ethos and branding. We will focus more on the consumer as we grow to hopefully get more profile for the beers.”