Fast-growing Moray craft brewer WooHa goes into administration
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A MORAY brewing company has gone into administration – with 12 staff being made redundant.
Kinloss-based Wooha Brewing Company, founded in 2015 by Heather McDonald, has faced cash-flow problems due to the contraction of global hospitality and licensed trade amid the pandemic, as well as export costs arising from Brexit.
Iain Fraser and Tom MacLennan, partners with FRP, have been appointed joint administrators.
Two staff are being retained to assist with the administration process.
Wooha Brewing had built up a substantial export business for its range of craft beers, with brand names such as Roch N’ Roll, Hop Stampede and Jenny from the Bock.
The artisan business had secured trade in China, Russia, the US, Italy, Finland and Israel.
More recently WooHa had developed an expanding trade and online domestic business, securing agreements with Wetherspoons, Ocado and Amazon Prime.
Since 2017 Wooha Brewing has operated from a purpose-built 16,000 sq ft facility in Kinloss with the capacity to support fast-growing demand.
Since its inception the business had raised £2.3 million from private investors, which included a high-profile crowdfunding campaign.
Mr Fraser, partner with FRP, said: "Wooha Brewing Company is a high-profile craft brewing business with a substantial and growing trade and consumer client base.
"The business had grown rapidly in recent years, was well financed, and had a clear strategy and positioning in a crowded market.
"The business has unfortunately been severely affected by a combination of Covid, the contraction of its main markets and the bureaucracy of Brexit.
"Despite every effort by the directors to keep the business trading and ensure the company would be able to capitalise on the recovery when it comes, the severe financial problems meant that administration was the only option."
The administrators are now looking to sell the business and assets, either in whole or in part.
