Freedom Brewery is to exclusively brew and sell Toast Brewing’s beers nationwide from 1 May.
Previously, Toast Brewing’s beers – made using surplus bread and sold in retailers including Waitrose, Co-op and Ocado – were produced under contract at several brewing facilities.
This approach had enabled the brand “to establish and grow without capital outlay, whilst avoiding the environmental cost of setting up new facilities”, Toast said.
However, to support ongoing growth, Toast “needed to find a more permanent home to scale with certainty”, it added.
Toast co-founders Rob Wilson and Louisa Ziane will continue to lead the beer brand, but sales and distribution will be handled by Freedom, which has a greater presence nationally and in the on-trade.
“Whilst it’s a challenging time for the brewing sector, with many businesses falling into administration or being bought into larger groups under value, our businesses are in a strong position,” said Wilson. “With rising costs and restrictive access to market, this partnership brings operational and commercial efficiencies that strengthen us both.
“Our shared belief in beer that does good has seen us work together before, and this new relationship will mean we can create even better beer and deliver more impact.”
Writing on LinkedIn, Ziane said the transition would “mean some role redundancies” at Toast.
”We’re fully supporting those affected and doing everything we can to help them find new opportunities,” she added.
Freedom Brewery expanded its production capabilities five-fold in late 2023, adding a new canning line and autopack machine.
The Staffordshire brewery’s growing footprint was “testament to our commitment to quality, innovation, and the relentless pursuit of excellence”, said managing director Matt Willson.
“Through continued investment, we have created a modern independent brewery that stands as a paragon of enhanced capability and capacity,” he said. “I look forward to the opportunity to spearhead the development of both Toast and Freedom, leveraging our respective strengths and skills, and sharing our collective knowledge and expertise in building beer brands.”
Toast Brewing was founded by Wilson and Ziane in 2015 with the mission of “turning leftover loaves into liquid gold”. All the profits from the business are invested into environmental causes.
In 2022, it raised more than £2m from investors including Heineken and former Unilever boss Paul Polman.
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