Tribe mentality

If you had two options to start your own brewery, would you rather build one from scratch or buy an existing brewery in need of new energy?

This was the dilemma facing Justin and Niki Deighton of Two Tribes Brewing when they decided to set up shop in 2011. Having already built careers in the music and creative industries, Justin and Niki took a gap year in Australia with their family. It was there that their passion was ignited for the food and drink industry, so on returning to UK they decided to head for Brighton and look for a business that chimed with their skills.

The brewery they bought was well established and, although the brand and beers were not at all what resonated with their Two Tribes brewery vision, it gave them a first step and a valuable insight into how a brewery runs.

“Establishing a brewery in a very competitive market can be challenging when financing the brewery through own means,” says Justin. “You have to make the right decisions on investment in kit to suit your product. Are you looking to build your customers through pub estates with draft, or small pack retail (cans or bottle) or even both?

“It can be easy to get sucked into an ‘Emperor’s new clothes’ situation with the latest equipment, which can take a lot of financing. New equipment doesn’t automatically produce great beer.”

For Justin and Niki, the priority was making the best quality possible, on the back of which they could brand, market and sell their product, building the business on solid ground. 

“We upgraded the brewing equipment as our knowledge grew,” recalls Justin. “There were some original contracts entered into by the previous owners that helped with ingredients, but there were others which were completely unrealistic. Bit by bit though, we worked our way through it.”

As the name suggests, the Two Tribes plan was always about a collaborative approach to the brewing process, with Justin and Niki harnessing their creative skills and bringing like-minded creative companies together through the brewing process.

“Whether it’s beer, music, design, food or art, Two Tribes looks to work with companies with the right fit,” explains Niki. “We never ‘brand slap’ any old contract-brewed beer – it’s about bringing together of people to create beers that are the essence of the brand, working with great partners on all sides.”

The brewery’s collaboration with Island Records/Soundwaves is one particularly notable success, having launched first a critically acclaimed session IP and later a Jamaica Porter. Having started out as a one-off projects, the relationship has now developed into a long-term partnership, with an extended range of Island Records beers now on the cards.

Another great collaboration has been WastED-London. Chef Dan Barber of New York’s Bluehill restaurant has brought his WastED concept – using food by-products to create a fine dining menu – over to UK for a month-long pop-up on the roof at Selfridges. Two Tribes produced the beer ‘Hello’ in cans using the byproducts supplied by the companies involved in the project.

Two years into the life of Two Tribes, the brewery now has a talented team of employees, including Jordan Mower, a home brewer taken on by Justin and Niki to develop his skills in the commercial brewing world.

“We’re still growing, so there’s always a challenge balancing our priorities,” continues Niki. “Whether it’s scaling up versus cash-flow, sales, securing space on the bar or simply getting paid, you inevitably end up performing a hundred different roles in a small brewery.

“The craft beer industry is a crowded market place and you certainly need a point of difference, as well as deep pockets. It’s an evolving, exciting industry, but Two Tribes Brewing is aiming to be the zebra in the field of horses.”