Two experienced senior managers have been appointed by Butcombe Brewery to support its continued expansion.
John Breading has been appointed as UK sales director at the firm, based at Wrington, near Bristol, while Phil Rowsell joins as operations manager at its recently opened 54,000 sq ft distribution centre in Bridgwater. 
The new site has four new projects including a craft beer production unit, a bottling and kegging line, alongside a beer storage and delivery facility.
Butcombe Brewery was founded in 1978 and has been an icon of the real beer movement ever since. It was acquired by Channel Islands-based brewery and pub group Liberation in 2015.
At the time it had 19 pubs – a number that has now increased to 43 – and it is also expanding its beer and cider range.
John Breading, pictured, has a strong sales background in the UK drinks market, having previously worked for The Beer Seller, Magners UK, and latterly developed a national sales strategy with Frobishers Juices.
He will be responsible for Butcombe’s on and off trade sales, including trade marketing. John will continue to grow the brewery’s market share and retain Butcombe Original’s position as the top regional cask beer in the South West of England. 
John said: “It’s an exciting time to join Butcombe as the company marks its 40th anniversary. My role will involve supporting our sales team’s passion for customer care and ensuring our focus is on quality.
“We plan to build on the brewery’s success in the local beer market, growing our loyal West Country customer base, as well as increasing sales further afield.”
Phil Rowsell joins with extensive logistics and project management experience, working as a general manager with DHL Tradeteam. He has a strong customer service background and has worked in partnership with the likes of Molson Coors, Carlsberg, Greene King, and Mitchells & Butlers. In addition, he has worked extensively as a project owner on several large national drinks industry projects in recent years.
Phil said: “It’s a pleasure to take on the challenge of running Butcombe’s new distribution centre. The site will allow us to increase our production to keep pace with growing demand and serve our customers more effectively at a lower cost. Butcombe intend to reinvest the savings into the development of the Butcombe beer brands to secure our future growth.”
