Award winning Leeds brewers Northern Monk have joined forces with Hesket Newmarket Brewery, one of the very first microbreweries in Cumbria, to avoid a copyright dispute through collaboration.
The two breweries first made contact when the small, cooperatively owned Lake District brewery flagged the use of ‘Scafell’ in the name of a recently launched Northern Monk beer, having already trademarked the iconic Northern landmark for their ‘Scafell Blonde Ale’.
The two breweries have taken a refreshing approach to avoid conflict with each other and have resolved the issue by collaborating on the beer going forward. ‘Scafell’ will now become the first Northern Monk / Hesket Newmarket collaboration on sale in supermarkets across the UK.
As part of a long running commitment from the Leeds brewery to support and uplift others in the industry, Northern Monk hopes that the share of sales from the brands distribution deal with Tesco will help the microbrewery recoup the losses following a devastating year for all in hospitality; and especially those crucial independent breweries, like Hesket Newmarket, who predominantly trade directly with pubs and small retail outlets. The company’s overall sales were down 68% in March (year-on-year) with zero cask sales in April, May and June.
After the collaboration and introduction of ‘Scafell’ to Tesco stores, the supermarket giant has committed to set Hesket Newmarket up with their regional buyers in the North West to discuss finding a home for their bottled range in store with the view to helping this crucial local brewery survive, and thrive, in this crisis.
Producing a wide range of distinctive real ales in Cumbria since 1988, Hesket Newmarket Brewery celebrate over 30 years of brewing tradition, with most of their beers named after fells in the Lake District National Park. Jim and Liz Fearnley built the brewing plant from scratch in the barn behind their pub The Old Crown in Hesket Newmarket, with the first brew a bitter named Blencathra after Jim’s favourite Lake District fell.
Following their retirement in 1999 the brewery was bought by a group of real ale enthusiasts from the village and beyond as a co-operative, meaning Hesket Newmarket Brewery remains at the heart of its community in Cumbria to this day.
Launching in 2013 and quickly becoming one of the most exciting and established breweries in the UK, Northern Monk are inspired by their Northern surroundings and the history of monastic brewing practiced across the region for thousands of years.
Committing themselves to creating the highest quality beers, Northern Monk combines traditional monastic brewing values with a progressive approach to ingredients and techniques. They regularly collaborate with national and international breweries, businesses and charities to help strengthen the north for positive change, and to continually diversify their own offering.
Following the immediate disruption of the brewery’s plans and an overnight 60% drop in trade as the pandemic took hold in March of this year, Northern Monk took stock, re-focused and set about doing what they could to help during the national lockdown. In the following months they have distributed 5000 cans of ‘Faith’ to frontline NHS staff, continued to support charities and community projects with £5000 grants via the For The North foundation, launched the ‘LDS AS ONE’ beer to support hospitality businesses in Leeds and set up a new boxed beer delivery to allow them to buy product, in cash and upfront, from other breweries and distribute to Northern Monk fans.
Viewing themselves as the latest in a long line of custodians of the brewing tradition, Northern Monk are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work with the Cumbrian micro-brewery. Both enterprises have community and collaboration at the heart of their business and show what can be achieved when we work with each other in hard times.
Full information on the work undertaken by Northern Monk to support their community and the industry during the pandemic can be found here.
Russell Bisset – Managing Director, Northern Monk said: “When we were first contacted by Hesket Newmarket brewery about a trademark infringement we were gutted. We had no idea another brewery was using the name Scafell and it was a beer we were really proud of.
“2020 has been a year that’s really challenged us and our industry as a whole, a year that’s forced us to think on our feet and work with our community to overcome challenges. Hesket are a small cooperatively owned brewery and we were determined to find a way that would help Hesket and keep our beer on the shelves. Thus a collaboration was born with a portion of sales going to Hesket Newmarket. We’re proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with this fellow Northern brewery metaphorically and on Tesco shelves across the country.”
Richard Lowth, Chairman, Hesket Newmarket Brewery said: “Like many small breweries we have been struggling to survive the dramatic loss of sales during the pandemic and the collaboration offered by Northern Monk will help to support our business through the lean winter months ahead.
We are very pleased with this invitation to work with such a prestigious brewing company and hope that other business opportunities will follow.”
Northern Monk mission statement: “Today, in the north we carry a torch for all that beer was, and all that beer can be. we’re on a quest to create the best beer we can, giving back where we can.”
