The Independent Family Brewers of Britain (''IFBB'') was formed in the 1993 by an informal group of family-owned/controlled brewery CEOs known as the Pimlico Group - all of whom were part of the UK's Brewers Society, now the

British Beer and Pub Association The British Beer and Pub Association is the drinks and hospitality industry's largest and most influential trade association A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body ...

. The group, between them, own over 700 brands and over 4,200 pubs. Current chairman is James Staughton, Managing Director of St Austell Brewery.

Background

The IFBB was launched on 14 April 1993 at the Brewers' Hall in London. It had 36 members. The defence of 'The Tie' - tying the tenant within his tenancy agreement to buying the brewery's own beers - was a key aim of the IFBB. The organisation also focuses on recruitment of licensees, beer quality training and attracting new cask ale drinkers. It was intended to act against

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...

proposals that were thought might stop even the smallest brewery owning its own

pubs A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

, a move which would have had adverse consequences for Britain's traditional family brewing industry. Two codes of conduct, one for lessees and one for tenants, has been co-produced with

. Compulsory for members of IFBB it aims to simplify self-regulation and maintain low cost arbitration of disputes. The codes will apply to over 4,000 pubs in England and Wales.

Members

The members are: *

Adnams Adnams is a regional brewery founded in 1872 in Southwold, Suffolk, England, by George and Ernest Adnams. It produces cask ale and bottled beers. Annual production is around 85,000 barrels. In 2010, the company established the Copper House ...

* Arkell's *

Batemans Bateman's is a 17th-century house located in Burwash, East Sussex, England. It was the home of Rudyard Kipling from 1902 until his death in 1936. The house was built in 1634. Kipling's widow Caroline bequeathed the house to the National Trust on ...

* Daniel Batham * SA Brain * Donnington Brewery * Elgoods *

Everards Everards is a regional brewery based in Leicester and founded in 1849 by William Everard and Thomas Hull. It produces cask ales and owns over 170 tenanted pubs, mainly around the Leicestershire area. Its chairman is fifth generation Richard Ever ...

Felinfoel Felinfoel (pronounced ) is a small village and electoral ward on the River Lliedi on the northern border of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, West Wales, with a population of about 2,000. The Felinfoel Brewery, home of Double Dragon Ale, is the oldest ...

* Fullers * Hall and Woodhouse * Harveys * Holdens *

Joseph Holt Joseph Holt (January 6, 1807 – August 1, 1894) was an American lawyer, soldier, and politician. As a leading member of the Buchanan administration, he succeeded in convincing Buchanan to oppose the secession of the South. He returned to Ke ...

Hook Norton Hook Norton is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It lies northeast of Chipping Norton, close to the Cotswold Hills. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 2,117. The village is formed of four neighbourhoods: Ea ...

* Hydes *

JW Lees J.W. Lees & Co (Brewers) Ltd is a brewery and pub company in Middleton, Greater Manchester, that has produced real ale since 1828. The brewery owns and operates 150 pubs, inns and hotels mainly in North West England and North Wales. It also o ...

McMullens McMullen's, known locally as Mac's, is a regional brewery founded in 1827 in Hertford, England. The brewery expanded during the second half of the 19th century by purchasing other breweries and their associated pubs. In 1902 it was the secon ...

* Palmers * Robinson's *

Shepherd Neame Shepherd Neame is an English independent brewery which has been based in the market town of Faversham, Kent, for over 300 years. While 1698 is the brewery's official established date, town records show that commercial brewing has occurred on the ...

St Austell St Austell (; kw, Sans Austel) is a town in Cornwall, England, south of Bodmin and west of the border with Devon. St Austell is one of the largest towns in Cornwall; at the 2011 census it had a population of 19,958. History St Austell wa ...

Theakston Brewery T&R Theakston is a brewery in the market town of Masham, North Yorkshire, England. The company is the sixteenth largest brewer in the UK by market share, and the second largest brewer under family ownership after Shepherd Neame. The brewery is ...

* Thwaites * Timothy Taylor *

Wadworths Wadworth is a brewery company founded in 1875 in Devizes, Wiltshire, England, best known for their 6X beer brand. History Wadworth & Co. was founded in 1875 when Henry Wadworth purchased the Northgate Brewery in Devizes. It was not long before ...

Wells and Young's Wells & Young's Brewery was formed in 2006 from a merger of the brewing operations of Charles Wells Ltd and Young's Brewery. Charles Wells initially had a 60% stake and Young's 40%. In 2011, Charles Wells took full control when it bought Young's ...

Former members include: *

Eldridge Pope Eldridge Pope & Co. was a traditional brewery situated in Dorchester, Dorset. It originated with a brewery in Durngate Street (on the site of the present Waitrose) run by Charles and Sarah Eldridge from 1837; later, the Pope family of Dorset s ...

Gales Brewery George Gale & Co. Ltd was a Hampshire brewery with a distinctive range of, mainly, bitter beers. Founded in 1847 it was bought by the London brewers, Fuller's of Chiswick in 2005. The brewery was closed in 2006 with production transferred to Chi ...

Cains Brewery Cains was a brewery in Liverpool, England, founded in 1858 by Robert Cain. The company merged with Peter Walker & Son in 1921 to form Walker Cains. Peter Walker & Son had a large brewery in Warrington so sold its Liverpool brewery to Hi ...

References

External links

IFBB website

British Beer & Pub Association
{{British beer Beer organizations Business organisations based in the United Kingdom Beer in the United Kingdom 1993 establishments in the United Kingdom British food and drink organisations