Northern Monk brewery wants to become biggest in Europe

Northern Monk began in a basement in Greengates 11 years ago under current managing director Russell Bisset and co-founder David Bishop.

It has risen to become one of the UK’s largest founder-led breweries and is now setting its sights on becoming Europe’s biggest craft brewery by 2035.

The brewery is aiming to work towards this with a crowdfunding campaign to raise £1 million for three key initiatives to kick start its next chapter.

The ‘Join the Rising’ campaign will give people the chance to own a piece of the brewery in exchange for funding, while supporting Northern Monk to invest in the next projects.

Russell Bisset, founder and managing director at Northern Monk, and Brian Dickson, co-founder and head brewer (Image: Northern Monk) One of them is opening a flagship Northern Monk venue in London.

Russell Bisset, co-founder and managing director, said: “From a damp cellar in Bradford, we set out with a £5,000 gift from a grandparent, a dream of a brewery that was fresh from the North and a mission to create some of the world’s best beer experiences.

“After 11 years of brewing, we’re embarking on an exciting new era for Northern Monk, and we want to give people to chance to join us on the journey.

“We’ve only got to where we are thanks to the support of our community and this continued support has led us to a place where we can now set ourselves exciting challenges and ambitions for the future.

“We want to bring the freshest Northern Monk experience we can to the heart of the capital.

“A place for our community in London and beyond to congregate.

“An outpost for the North has always been an ambition but was knocked back due to the pandemic.

“Now, we’re ready to launch a flagship venue in the capital, before opening more tap rooms in 2025 and beyond.”

The other two initiatives are to expand the brewery to become fully self-reliant by 2035 and carbon zero by 2030, and turn Northern Monk’s original brewery site, The Old Flax Store, Leeds into the best brewery visitor experience in the UK.

Back in March, Northern Monk announced it planned to invest £500,000 in new equipment and its main brewery site at Sydenham Road, in Holbeck, Leeds, which would allow the company to increase its brewing level by 20 per cent.

Northern Monk's main brewery site at Sydenham Road, in Holbeck, Leeds (Image: Northern Monk) This came just months after the business opened The Northern Market at the start of November last year, in the former Assembly Underground premises, in Great George Street, Leeds.

Anyone who signs up for early access to invest in the campaign can get one free pint of Northern Monk beer from The Lyric in Soho, or the Northern Monk Refectories in Leeds and Manchester, the Northern Market in Leeds, and XXXX in Edinburgh.

Alongside the equity on offer, everyone who invests will gain access to various exclusive rewards depending on their investment level, including discounts, exclusive merch, brew days with the team, and free beer.

Since Northern Monk’s last round of investment in 2018, they’ve brewed more than 40 million pints, increased revenue by 400 per cent and are now stocked in all of the UK’s major retailers.

Northern Monk's motto Keep the faith (Image: Northern Monk) Janice Cargo, partner at consumer specialist investment firm Active Partners and long-standing investor in Northern Monk, said: “What Russell and the team have built at Northern Monk is nothing short of exceptional.

“From their roots in the North, they have created unrivalled beer experiences for millions, built a hugely engaged, loyal community and are on track to become one of the largest craft breweries in Europe.

“With this proven track record of growth, we are excited to support the brand in its next chapter and welcome new and existing crowd investors to help shape Northern Monk’s future.”

To find out more visit: northernmonk.com/pages/join-the-rising