A BROUGHTY Ferry firm which helps publicans cut costs and avoid wasted pints reckons it could quadruple the size of its business after winning new development funding.
BeerTech UK will use a £10,000 low-interest loan from Michelin Development to support efforts to sell its electromagnetic technology into some of the biggest names in the licensed trade.
Success in trials being carried out by a string of major pubcos would increase business fourfold “at a minimum”, according to sales director Steve Comerford.
He hopes the company’s patented beer line conditioning technology, which it is claimed can improve quality while reducing the frequency of line cleaning, will be toasted by thousands of landlords.
BeerTech’s patented FlowMaster unit, installed as the line leaves the cask, gives the beer a small electric charge setting the individual proteins within it spinning.
The technique prevents molecules ‘sticking’ to the side of the pipes as readily, thereby cutting carbon dioxide build-up and reducing the need for lines to be cleaned.
Mr Comerford said that meant a reduction in staff time requirements, a cut in beer wastage and lower use of potentially damaging chemicals.
“Our products have already been very well received by the industry, helping publicans to save time, money and sell more beer,” he said.
He added: “There are major upfront costs involved in going after the bigger players in the market though, and this can put a real strain on cash flow.
“The support from Michelin means we can do further product testing to satisfy these potential customers, and will ultimately help us take on more staff as the business grows.”
FlowMaster is already installed in the 1,000-strong managed estate at major pubco Greene King, as well as a couple of hundred tenanted locations also tied to by the brewer.
The relationship accounts for around half of BeerTech UK’s customer base, with a similar number of systems already in use in individually-owned bars and smaller pub portfolios.
Mr Comerford said Mitchells & Butlers and Whitbread are interested in taking on the device but would need to be convinced by a prolonged period of testing before signing a deal for estates which represent thousands of outlets.
The sales director said the firm was also in talks with 120-strong Joseph Holt and the 1,200-location Spirit Pub Company. BeerTech also offers cellar-cooling and metering systems.
It has a long-standing relationship with Belhaven, beginning long before it became part of Greene King following the latter’s £187m takeover in 2005.
Michelin Development business development manager Graham Douglas said: “This growing company offers genuinely innovative products to the bar and pub trade and we are confident the extra financial support will help them further prove the product benefits and spread the word to a lucrative wider audience.”