In 2007, two men and a dog set out to beat the behemoths of brewing. James Watt and Martin Dickie first met at Peterhead Academy in the northeast of Scotland and within 10 years the close friends turned their craft beer cottage industry into a global phenomenon. Today they employ over 2,000 people, and have opened over 100 bars globally from Japan to Australia and America, all from their base in Aberdeenshire.
But their journey wasn’t smooth, and the business nearly went under until a supermarket competition changed their fortune. They faced negative press and grew through unconventional means. In 2018, they sold a 22% share to a private equity company, earning £50m each in the process. They are adamant they won’t sell out, but have the punks grown up to be just like the corporate giants they fought so hard against? With exclusive access – they tell us their own story from the beginning.
