News / Beer fans beg BrewDog to come north
HUNDREDS of Shetlanders have backed an online campaign to get the Scottish craft brewery BrewDog to open a pub in the isles.
The Aberdeen-based company, which has experienced a meteoric rise since it started in a Fraserburgh warehouse eight years ago, promises to open an outlet where a minimum of 200 people buy shares in the company worth £95.
On Tuesday evening Sandwick couple Emilie and Ben Gray started a Facebook campaign to encourage Shetland folk to invest.
In the following three days 550 people have already supported the Facebook page, with several islanders saying they had been shareholders for years.
A similar campaign has just persuaded the brewery to open a pub in Peterhead.
BrewDog prides itself on its modern, innovative and fun approach to brewing and selling craft beers and has a distinctive line in self promotion and raising finance.
They opened their first pub in Aberdeen five years ago, and have since seen new outlets flourish across the UK and Europe, as well as Japan and Brazil.
Emilie Gray said they spent time in the Aberdeen BrewDog pub last year while on holiday and were so impressed they decided to start a campaign in Shetland.
“We were able to enjoy a drink and some food and take our son and our dogs and it was a really pleasant atmosphere,” she said.
“Shetland’s nightlife could use a bit of an upgrade and BrewDog’s shareholder promise means that if our campaign spreads far enough, we could turn this idea into a reality.
“We’ve been really pleasantly surprised and encouraged by the response we’ve had so far.”
The Grays want people to join the Facebook page, which was set up with BrewDog’s support and explains their shareholder policy.
If 200 people in any area buy two £45 shares, they promise to open a pub there within a year.
Interest in craft beers in Shetland is growing with the recent opening of the Beervana shop on Commercial Street.
The Grays said: “Our message to BrewDog is clear: please come to Shetland!”
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