Red Lion Brewing
| Red Lion Brewing | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Organisation | |
| Type | Public (NISX:RLB) |
| Employees | 980 |
| Subsidiaries |
|
| Founded | 22 February 1876 |
| Founder(s) | Sir James Hoy |
| Headquarters |
244-252 Falconer Street Shepton, CENT |
| Key people |
The Lord Haines (Chairman) Iain Underwood (Managing director) |
| Products and services | |
| Industry | Consumer goods |
| Products | Beverages |
| Finances | |
| Revenue |
 £1.1 billion |
Red Lion Brewing plc (NISX:RLB) is a brewing,distilling, beverage, and snack food company based in Shepton, Centralia. The company is the largest producer of alcoholic drinks in New Ingrea and brews most of the top selling beer, wine and spirit brands in the country.
Founded in 1876 in Rosenham, Red Lion today produces a number of award winning brands such as Lion Draught and Falcon Vale Wines. The Lord Haines, the current chairman of Red Lion, is the third richest person in New Ingrea.
History
Red Lion was founded in 1876 by James Hoy, the owner of the Red Lion Tavern in Rosenham. Hoy hoped to promote a locally made and produced beer for the general public. Between 1876 and 1930, full strength and mid-strength lagers were produced locally at the Rosenham brewery.
Throughout the 1920s, the company continued to grow, and by 1926 it held about 35% of the market. Additional brands were added including Lion Dry and Lion Ale. In late 1921, the company announced it would move from the cramped brewery site in Rosenham to a wholly new site in Shepton. The move was completed in early 1930 with the construction of a massive state of the art brewery on the town's western edge. This expansion led to another rapid growth in demand, and the market share for Red Lion jumped to 45% by the end of 1939. The Rosenham site is today used by the foods division of the company for their production lines.
In 2005, the company became the major sponsor of the NIFA Superleague 1 competition. Last year, the company announced a net profit of £171 million, which was up from £150 million the year before.
Products
Red Lion produces a range of beer, wine and spirits. The most popular of these are:
- Lion Lager
- Lion Mid
- Lion Regent
- Lion Pale
- Lion Bitter
- Lion Red
- Lion Lite
- Hoy's Stout
Breweries and wineries
The company operates two major breweries, a distillery and a winery for the production of beer, wine and spirits in New Ingrea.
The largest is the Shepton Brewery & Distillery located on in the northern suburbs of the city. Employing ~200 staff, the flagship brands of the company are brewed in Shepton, including Lion Draught and Rosenham Larger. The brewery offers guided tours of the plant six days a week for a small fee, with beer tasting available afterwards for adults at the nearby Brewery Hotel. Shepton is also home to Red Lion's small Rum and Bourbon distilleries.
The Williamsdene Brewery is the smaller of the two breweries and employs ~100 people. The brewery produces the two smaller beer labels Lion Ale and Lion Dry as well as the international beers produced under licence. The Williamsdene Brewery was constructed by the Bellenshire Brewing & Malting Company before it was acquired by Red Lion in 1937.
Wine is produced across numerous estates under the auspices of the Connmouth Wine Estates. The label is famous for it Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon wines.
See also
- Hoys Foods (Major subsidiary)