Oh Captain, my Captain!

Founded, not as a brewery, but as a brand spreading positive social impact, one shared beer at a time, People’s Captain started in premiership rugby, where founder Greg Bates was struggling with a bout of poor mental health, and the stigma that goes with it. In hindsight, Greg pinpoints the moment he began to recover to a conversation he had down the pub with a concerned friend who, after gentle but consistent duress, got Greg to open up about how he’d been feeling. Having been profoundly affected by the impact that talking about mental health can have on recovery, Greg went public with his story in the hope it would open a dialogue about the importance of checking in for other people. 

“Having been learning to brew as a hobby, I put two and two together and decided to create a beer that met people where they were and encouraged them to check in, while we donate from our profits to mental health charities,” says Greg. “We brew out of Bermondsey with our mates at Fourpure as we don’t own our own brewery. When we started People’s Captain, it was about building a brand to make a social impact, not about shiny steel tanks and production. So 99% of our focus is on our customers, our pubs and the communities we serve to make an impact in mental health in the UK. London is where the majority of our customers are, but we’ve run countless workshops and are currently training mental health first aiders in hospitality across the country.” 

For example, in the year following the decline of COVID, the People’s Captain Foundation helped jump start a pop-up pub, The Duck’s Crossing, in the town that didn’t have one, and where locals were struggling with post-lockdown isolation. Local mental health advocates secured the space, and People’s Captain supplied the beer, with profits being donated to Millimeters to Mountains, a charity harnessing the power of community to promote personal growth and development. Outside campaigns like these, the People’s Captain Foundation supports Samaritans, Young Minds and Loose Headz; if causes like these are close to home, visit www.peoplescaptain.co.uk to recruit their help with hosting a fundraiser.