Brimstage Brewery, famous for its locally produced beer, has partnered with Wirral-based charity Autism Together in a creative project which encourages people on the autism spectrum to enhance their woodwork skills.
A group of service users at Autism Together have been crafting bespoke wooden beer caddies for the brewery to sell at markets and food fairs.
The beer caddies, which are made from scrap or pallet wood, are made by the charity’s woodland team, and the project will run as a social enterprise, with any profits returned to the charity’s projects.
Members of the group are involved in all aspects of the product, from pulling apart pallets for the timber, fixing the product together with glue, screws and nails, sanding the final product, designing the label and delivering the product to the brewery.
The team initially sent the brewery some samples, but after seeing the product and hearing about the good cause, Brimstage Brewery ordered a bespoke model to fit their half a litre Brimstage beer bottles.
The caddies sell for £8 each, and are sold at local fayre’s or markets which the brewery attend – one was even bought from a craft beer shop in Devon, with the caddy being used as a shop display crate.
Michael Howard, activity manager for the woodland team, said:
“The creation of these wooden caddies provides worthwhile and fulfilling tasks for all to develop and enjoy. The personalised approach we use allows all the service users who attend to work on the skills they have or are learning, by getting involved with different aspects of the design process. The project also creates a social enterprise model to help the woodland group develop for future projects we already have lined up.”
The caddies have been selling well at the brewery, with Sales and Marketing Manager, Mark Baxter, even buying a few himself.
He said:
“It has been great to do our little bit and help Mike & the guys out by selling the beer caddy for them at our brewery and local food & drink events. Our customers absolutely love them and the fact that the team making them are working together, learning new skills and re-using wooden objects to create something so sturdy & useful for carrying our beer bottles. Keep up the good work!”