ABREWERY in Worcestershire is showing a refreshing side to business by using its profits to help others.

Community interest company Brew On will officially launch next month at its base in a former Victorian barn on the National Trust’s Brockhampton Estate.

Working with the trust, the aim of the brewery is to provide opportunities for people experiencing disadvantage through disability or social exclusion to learn new skills and gain experience in a working environment.

Managing director Nick Comley said: “We will provide supported and permitted hours employment, training and volunteering for adults living in Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

“By providing opportunities for real work and training, we aim to increase social inclusion and community cohesion and improve the lives of people who often find their employment choices restricted.”

Sourcing produce from local farmers and growers, including apples from the Brockhampton Estate, the brewery will produce a range of bottled beers, ciders and soft drinks under the Trusted brand, which Mr Comley hopes will go on sale at all National Trust properties and destinations in Herefordshire.

A master brewer is currently helping the team put together its first ale, which is set to be ready for a taste test in time for Brew On’s launch on Sunday, June 5.

There are also plans to revive some of the ancient brews once produced in and around the area.

David Bailey, National Trust general manager for Herefordshire, said: “We are looking forward to working closely with Brew On and are very pleased that we are able to lease the Brockhampton Brewery to an enterprise that will deliver so much back to the local community.”

Mr Comley, who previously worked in the wine industry, was inspired to start Brew On following his work with charities, including MIND and Community First.

Having produced cider at the nearby Croft Castle for the past two years, it was the castle’s operations manager, Ian Grafton, who alerted Mr Comley to the vacant brewery at Brockhampton.

“The brewery was the opportunity to bring those things together,” he said.

“I’d worked alongside lots of amazing social enterprises and the brewery is a place where people can come together.

“Pubs are great democratic institutions and we hope to make the brewery the same.”

Already members of Social Enterprise West Midlands CIC and the Society of Independent Brewers Association (SIBA), Mr Comley said Brew On was committed to the highest standards of beer production and social enterprise.

He hopes the business will become only the second in the West Midlands to be awarded the Social Enterprise Mark – a sign of an ethical business.

He said: “Brew On is an example of the transformational positive effect of doing good business and doing business for good.

“We will provide consumers with a real choice to ‘drink socially, responsibly’.

“Like Fairtrade, we want to see the Social Enterprise Mark become a widely recognised symbol of ethical trading and for the Trusted brand of products from Brew On to be selected on the basis of quality, provenance and social and environmental added value.”

Brew On is in the Oast House Barn, Whitbourne, on the Brockhampton Estate and will be launched with a big lunch, including a Year in the Orchard picnic celebrating Herefordshire’s orchard heritage from 11am until 4pm.

It has already hosted an open day earlier this month, when people were able to find out more about the brewery and volunteering opportunities.

For details, visit brew-on.co.uk.