A brewing company in Paisley has expanded its premises and increased production after the owner received specialist support from Business Gateway
Two Towns Down is the first brewery in the town of Paisley for over 125 years. The business was started by Sandy McKelvie and specialises in flavoured distilled beers.
The brewery offers a wide range of products and flavours for purchase online and in their Paisley tap room, which is open on Fridays and Saturdays. Two Towns Down is also stocked in various shops across Scotland.
Sandy prides the aesthetic of his products as a celebration of where he was born and raised, with each can sporting the unique Paisley pattern.
Sandy attributes his success to his challenging upbringing. When Sandy was a child, his parents were told he may never learn to read due to Dyslexia and Dyspraxia, but he has triumphed over this adversity and is now the owner of a successful business.
Sandy has a degree in brewing and distilling at Heriot Watt University. While he was a student, Sandy received lots of training in local bars and microbreweries, all of which helped him in his journey to where he is now.
Two Towns Down has now taken over the building next door in a bid to expand the business by offering increased production area and supporting greater sales activity.
With plans to expand his business and a desire to speed up his manufacturing process, he approached Business Gateway for help.
Sandy received 1:1 specialist advice from Business Gateway adviser Robert Kinniburgh. Robert signposted Sandy to funding, which resulted in him receiving a Business Resilience grant from Renfrewshire Council, made available through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
This gave him the opportunity to purchase new equipment which speeds up production capacity and output, allowing him to increase his production capabilities and create more beer.
The support Sandy received from Business Gateway was key to him being able to expand into the building next door.
Robert also arranged specialist consultancy support which helped improve both traditional and digital marketing for Two Towns Down. This led to an increase in Sandy’s customer base both in Renfrewshire and further afield.
Sandy McKelvie, founder of Two Towns Down, said: “The advice and support I received from Business Gateway was fantastic and really allowed me to make tangible growth in my business. The funding Robert directed me to was essential for improving production and allowing me to create more beer. I cannot thank Robert and the Business Gateway team enough’’.
Robert Kinniburgh, Business Gateway adviser said: “It is amazing to see the growth of Sandy’s business, especially the expansion into bigger premises. We could not be happier with what he has achieved and can see the business growing a lot more. His development of his online brand and his expansion is just the beginning, and we cannot wait to see him flourish.”
To find out more about Business Gateway, visit https://bgateway.com.
