Case Study – Deya Brewing Company

Introduction

At an industry event at the end of 2022, John of DEYA Brewing Company met up with James from Ninkasi Rentals & Finance. DEYA were looking for a CO₂ solution and were hoping that Ninkasi, having recently teamed up with Dalum Beverage Equipment, could assist. Ninkasi were already a known and trusted supplier to DEYA and could handle the import and installation of the Dalum machine, minimising the risk and providing ongoing support to ensure a smooth transition from their current CO₂ supply across to the new Dalum equipment.

DEYA’s Sustainability Journey

DEYA has always been committed to the sustainable production of their beer. So committed in fact that they completed a company carbon footprint audit back in 2020. A full analysis of their CO₂ emissions was calculated, allowing the business a real insight into the impact that their brewery has on the environment and identifying areas that the business could focus on. DEYA has continued this audit every year, refining and improving their practices alongside publishing the report on their website.

This brings us back to 2022, where DEYA were in a difficult position – the business was growing and so was their CO₂ output. CO₂ is a byproduct of the fermentation process and is usually released into the atmosphere. CO₂ is then used for packaging, traditionally being bought in on the back of a lorry, producing yet more emissions. Surely there was a way to capture DEYA’s CO₂ output and use it in the brewery?

Making CO₂ Capture Viable for Craft Brewers

The issue that DEYA, alongside most craft brewers, face is that while CO₂ is produced during fermentation, being able to reuse it within the brewery is expensive, and historically only available to the very largest breweries in the market. That was until Dalum introduced their revolutionary CO₂ Capture Technology, making the solution available and financially feasible for craft-scale breweries.

Ninkasi and DEYA collaborated extensively, analyzing DEYA’s need for around 5 tonnes of CO₂ per month relative to their brewing volume. They developed a detailed plan covering pipework layouts, construction, safety, and consumption requirements. Ninkasi also factored in local climate conditions, such as weather’s impact on CO₂ delivery, while ensuring solutions aligned with DEYA’s environmental focus. Additionally, they considered the brewery’s operational patterns, shutdown periods, and CO₂ availability, devising a contingency plan to support DEYA’s environmental goals and future growth.

The Right Solution, Backed by Data

Ninkasi and DEYA agreed upon a Dalum 15kg/hr CO₂ recapture unit with a 7T vertical storage tank providing 280kg of CO₂ per hour. This would enable DEYA to collect 10.8 tonnes of CO₂ per month (over 200% of their requirement), hold six weeks of CO₂ usage on site, and bring CO₂ into the brewery 20 times faster than their average hourly consumption. While this may seem significantly over-engineered, Ninkasi collaborated closely with DEYA to understand their demand curve — not just today, but into the future as well.

Financial and Operational Impact

For most businesses, building a sustainable future is desirable, but this must be commercially viable to ensure that the business will have a future in this ever-competitive space. With the usage of 5 tonnes of CO₂ per month, at an average price of £950 per tonne (including delivery and rent on containers), DEYA was spending £57.5k per year on CO₂. With the cost of the project being £125k, the payback on the project would be just over two years, after which DEYA own the equipment and are saving around £57.5k per year on their CO₂ costs.

These savings are based on a steady market. As recently as 2022, CO₂ prices spiked, going from hundreds to thousands of pounds per tonne. Should this happen again, payback on the CO₂ recapture project would be months, not years. Alongside this, DEYA has ensured their ability to supply for the future — an essential part of their growth plans. Craft brewers often face challenges in securing supply at this stage, as global brands tend to dominate.

A Win for the Planet and the Business

Whether this is about protecting the planet, protecting the business’ pockets, or protecting future growth plans, it is clear that investing in this technology brings multiple benefits. DEYA has removed 130 tonnes of CO₂ from the atmosphere annually — the same as taking 92 cars off the road — as well as saving themselves around £20k a year and reducing their reliance on third-party CO₂ suppliers.

Get in Touch

If you would like more information on anything discussed above, or to arrange a free installation and suitability consultation, then just drop us a message!

Case Study – Brand Tap Bottling

Brand Tap Bottling, a growing UK-based bottling company, needed a flexible and efficient financing solution to support their expansion. Traditional lending options were proving slow and restrictive, so they turned to Ninkasi Rentals & Finance, whose expertise in the drinks industry made them an ideal partner. By providing immediate access to the essential equipment Brand Tap needed, Ninkasi enabled the business to spread costs over manageable monthly payments while maintaining operational agility.

Reflecting on the partnership, Brand Tap Bottling noted, “Ninkasi played a big part in what we’ve been doing. You’re very approachable, very friendly, you understand our industry, and the speed at which you can work has been a great benefit to our business. Every time, it’s been very, very straightforward.” The relationship was built on trust, industry understanding, and a seamless process, giving Brand Tap the confidence to tackle new projects and scale up efficiently.

If you’re looking for financing that understands your business, Ninkasi could be the perfect fit. Get in touch today.

Watch the video below to hear their thoughts on working with Ninkasi.

Case Study – SALT

Ninkasi Rentals and Finance have just helped SALT complete their new tank farm project. SALT (who are part of the Ossett Brewery Group) are currently in high demand among their customer base, and several large orders have meant that they needed in increase their production capacity swiftly and cost effectively.

SALT approached Ninkasi for a financially viable solution to increase their production capacity with minimal capital outlay while still having the ability to determine how they wish to handle any future transactions with Ninkasi. This meant that Ninkasi provided the upfront capital for the project while SALT received the tanks that they required to their exact specification.

Dr. Nadir Zairi, Managing Director at SALT said:

“It was a pleasure to work with Ninkasi on this project for our business. SALT is always looking to work with professional and supportive suppliers and found that the ethos and customer service within Ninkasi really matched our own.

We are currently going through a significant growth phase and as such needed to increase our capacity, with the current economic climate and uncertainty in the market we felt that a rental solution provided the best possible capital advantages while also protecting the business from any unknown market forces which could impact and would be beyond our control.

We are very happy with our choice and the service and value provided by Ninaksi”.

James Lewis, Managing Director at Ninkasi Rentals said:

“The tank farm project at Salt has been smooth sailing since day one. The vision that Nadir and his team have for the business is very clear and having known the business for many years, providing the capital for their expansion was something that we were always happy to support.

We have found that many of our customers have moved into expanded small pack production during the recent pandemic, and as such Ninkasi have been able to provide additional tank capacity for them quickly and at a time to really help their business thrive in uncertain times. The flexibility of our rental offering is also very attractive to our customers during these uncertain times as it allows customers to grow with demand, but not necessarily risk the upfront capital of outright purchase.

The 9 x 60hl tank farm at Salt is representative of how we can work alongside a customer to ensure that their ambition and ability to meet their customer demand is done both cost effectively and smoothly”.

CASE STUDY – Bristol Distilling Co

Bristol Distillery choose Ninkasi Tanks

Founded in early 2017 Bristol Distilling Co was created with the intention to set itself apart from an industry bloated with ‘on-topic’ acronyms and hyperbole created by a team of marketers in fancy offices. Bristol Distilling Co wanted to show from the drinks it creates, to the way it thinks and how it expresses itself – they were a different type of company.

In 2018 the distillery was borne using a 500L copper pot still custom built for the business in Nebraska. The first gin ‘77’ was bottled in May 2018 and was quickly awarded in the International Wine and Sprits competition, followed up by another award in the same competition in 2020 for the 77 Black, a cold brew coffee and vanilla liqueur.

Refusing to accept conventional wisdom that large retailer listings can only come after years of slow and painful growth, the business now has contracts with Europe’s largest grocer.

With the business continuing to support and grow locally as well as through retail, expansion and strategy became more and more prevalent to the business leaders. The directors of the company wanted to bring more of the production in house, however recognised that growing the business through traditional methods was both capital intensive and slow.

So Bristol Distilling Co. reached out to Ninkasi rentals, and started to rent Fermentation Tanks to allow for their kegged Gin and Tonic to be blended under their expert tutelage.

From then it has been a match made in heaven with Ninkasi able to provide the equipment and support which allows Bristol Distilling Co. the room to grow organically without the worry of capital being tied up in assets which don’t drive a return.

What Bristol Distilling Say:

“Excellent service from the team at Ninkasi. They were able to understand our needs, support us through the decision-making process, no hard sell, no hassle, just an honest company trying to help another. When the tank arrived they had it installed where we wanted it, no mess, no fuss – just great service – and then when we noticed a small leak on one of the valves, they were down the next day and sorted everything out. We judge businesses on the way they are after a sale not before it, and Ninkasi have been great to us. We are also a small company with big ambitions and I think that entrepreneurial attitude and willingness to support and help your customers shines through everything that Ninkasi does – all, in all, very very happy to recommend them and their service to anyone out there that is thinking of tanks for their business.”

Jake Black – Director – Bristol Distilling Co.

“As Jake says the guys at Ninkasi have just been great, they always respond when you ask a question and when we needed support during the Covid pandemic, they didn’t hesitate. They are easy to talk if you have a question on invoicing or something similar – but to be honest the best thing about them is that you don’t even know that they are there. They don’t constantly email you or push like other companies, they just sit in the background, and if we need them, they are always there to help.”

Clare Neath – Director – Bristol Distilling Co.

 

 

Case Study – Big Smoke Brew Co.

Big Smoke Brew Co are a true Craft brewery, founded in the back of a pub (The Antelope) in Surbiton. Rich and James had the vision and belief to create something extraordinary, but needed additional capacity to continue to grow the business, this is their story;

Firstly, Rich and James needed a Head Brewer, Nick was literally stopped on the tarmac before boarding a flight back to New Zealand (think any good Rom/Com), and the rest of the team soon followed. Together they all started creating not only amazing beers but a loyal and dedicated customer base – growth followed swiftly and sizeably.

To meet demand the team at Big Smoke decided to contract brew two of their beers, however they knew that what they really wanted was a bigger brewery. In December 2018 they took delivery of a new 30HL kit, increasing capacity four-fold, and allowing them to bring all of the control and functionality back in house. Importantly for the team at Big Smoke, it enabled much more control of the process and they were able to achieve greater consistency across their range.

Big Smoke soon found themselves in the enviable position whereby they had grown exponentially in a short space of time and were running out of capacity again for their core range. Recognising the quality control, they had when they brewed the beer inhouse, they needed to find a solution which increased capacity, while at the same time protecting their cash flow and capital reserves.

They spoke to Ninkasi, who agreed to purchase Uni Tanks for them and install them into their brewery. Big Smoke agreed to rent the tanks while they decided their next growth phase.  The team at Big Smoke loved the Ninkasi experience, not only was the service professional but they could brew into the vessels within 24hrs from completed delivery.

Watch the video below to hear their thoughts on working with Ninkasi