The firm agreed a £250,000 investment deal with Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets, which includes an asset finance facility and working capital support. This has been used to invest in kit such as an effluent dilution facility.
Bevisol will continue to produce cider, perry and wine under md Chris Newall, a former director of Universal Beverages. Newall has kept many of the former staff to help run the factory, including commercial director Simon Fletcher. "Rather than lose a plant, I put a proposal to the Heineken board and they agreed to sell it to me," said Newall.
The 3,716m2 site is separate from a larger plant, also in Ledbury, which is still operated by Heineken and continues to produce its alcoholic brands.
Bevisol has already created 11 new jobs and expects to meet targets of maximising the plant capacity of 30Ml a year of high-strength beverages (1011% alcohol/volume) or up to 60Ml of lesser strength.
The factory has 12 alcohol fermenting tanks, with a total capacity of 100,000l, and uses triple filtration to produce alcohol bases and products of high purity.
Bevisol makes "turn-key" drinks for several top brands under contract. It ferments alcoholic drinks bases, which can be used as ingredients for a range of end-of-line products, such as ready-to-drink beverages.