Rupert Thompson, owner of Hogs Back Brewery, has completed the purchase of London craft brewer Mondo in a pre-pack deal.
The former Bass and Morland exec said the deal would secure “the future of the Mondo brands, as well as its brewery and taproom in Battersea”.
Financial terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed.
In his new role as chairman of the newly created Mondo Beer, Thompson said he would work alongside Mondo’s existing management team and founder and MD Todd Matteson.
He pledged to deliver “a fresh injection of capital” into the Mondo brand and invest in “additional sales and marketing activities”.
The Surrey-based Hogs Back would act as “a sister business in areas such as packaging, sales and marketing”, Thompson said, with Mondo becoming the exclusive distributor of Hogs Back subsidiary One Planet Brewing – a new solar-powered beer brand launched last year – in London.
“I’ve known and respected the founders of Mondo, Todd and Tom, for several years,” Thompson said. “We’ve sold their beers in our brewery shop, and we brewed a collaboration beer in 2022.
“It is a challenging market, but despite that Mondo has been growing. The beers and branding are excellent, and I think they have a bright future ahead. Customers want to see imaginative independent and local brands that are not owned by global brewers.”
Matteson added: “We found ourselves in a situation where there is strong demand for our beers, but we were hit by all the challenges that have beset so many small brewers.
“It’s wonderful that Rupert has been able to help, and this allows us to move forward. His experience of developing successful beer brands will be invaluable and we’re delighted to have him working with us at Mondo Beer, and to have the back-up of Hogs Back Brewery.”
Mondo is the latest in a long line of craft beer businesses to be sold in pre-pack administration deals in the last two years.
Last month, distribution business Eebria was sold in a pre-pack deal to Beer52, while January saw Leeds-based North sold to Steve Holt, the owner of Kirkstall Brewery.
Private equity group Breal, meanwhile, snapped up four craft brewers – including Black Sheep and Purity Brewing – out of or on the verge of administration in 2023.
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