A Scottish isle home to only 100 people could soon be home to the country’s first community-owned brewery.
The Isle of Eigg, some 12 miles off Scotland’s west coast, could soon boast an eponymous brewery that takes inspiration from US and Belgium beers, will create employment, and exclusively use 100% renewable energy.
The project is headed up by Stu McCarthy, a former secondary head teacher from the Wirral. Now a long-term resident of Eigg , McCarthy previously ran a microbrewery on the Hebridean island.
Laig Bay Brewing Company produced beers for local residents and across Scotland via its partnership with ALDI but the scale of the operation made the business unviable.
However, McCarthy has grand plans for the new brewery and its role in can play in the community
“We want to build an environmentally-friendly brewery to meet the demand for our beers on and off Eigg,” says McCarthy. “Our new site in the heart of the island is perfectly located for both brewing logistics and local and tourist footfall.”
A bespoke brewkit and a new building will allow the business to meet projected and future interest, while energy requirements will be met using PV solar panels and Tesla Powerwall technology which will also fuel their electric vehicle.
“Over the last six months, I’ve become a jack of all trades and I can tell you all you’ll ever want to know about powerwalls!” he laughed.
To meet these goals, McCarthy has launched a crowdfunding campaign. A total of £230,000 will cover the business from foundations to first brew.
He’s applied for various grants, but also needs to raise at least £125,000 in this community share issue.
If successful, McCarthy says the brewery will create three jobs in the coming years, and produce an annual grant investing in local, entrepreneurial start-ups to increase island resilience
Beer will be brewed using 100% renewable energy and using raw materials that support local farming and Eigg’s tree nursery. They’re also working towards zero-carbon deliveries throughout the Highlands.
He added: “In 1997 the community famously raised the funds to buy the island and put an end to hundreds of years of Laird rule. For the last twenty three years, Eigg has been a successful model for Scottish land reform and community ownership. Eigg’s pioneering spirit is instrumental in our vision.
“We want to explore community ownership beyond Eigg’s borders, helping to increase our economic diversification and future resilience while sharing our remote island experience. We see beer, the great social leveller, as the ideal way to begin this.”
