Meet
Joe.
In January 2020, Joe and his wife Julie took over the Harrogate Brewing Company. The initial months were tough – having just bought the business as the pandemic hit, but they’ve developed the business each year, and continue to go from strength to strength. Joe joined our first Yorkshire Strive programme, and with further support from the York and North Yorkshire Growth Hub, they’ve continued to expand the business.
They’ve significantly increased the turnover, won multiple awards for their beers, and most recently (April 2025) open a second venue in Harrogate. Below is an interview with Joe, shortly after he completed Strive back in 2022.
Interview.
We caught up with Joe to hear about their business journey so far, their motivations for taking the plunge, and some of those early challenges!
What’s been the toughest challenge in starting your business?
Keeping a clear view on what the next step should be.
Why did you decide to start your business?
To create a lifestyle business for my family and to engender community engagement as we gradually
drop the shackles that Covid created.
What’s your secret start-up super power?
Top of the list is always focussing on customer service. We listen, create, listen, amend, repeat.
Who (or what) has helped you in your journey?
This is a family project. We all have skills that add to the mix. Matthew looks after Sales Development (my son – who previously worked for L’Oreal). Martha looks after the Branding and Website (my daughter – worked previously for New Look’s Head Office), my Wife Julie does everything creative (she is an ex music teacher). Liam is our Head Brewer(my Son in Law – who has a Masters in Chemistry). And me – I have a Helicopter view of it all (I’m an ex-CEO). We’ve also a high level of industry support from fellow brewers!
What advice would give someone thinking of starting a business?
Be brave but not reckless. Move a step forward each day. Stay on the journey because many will not.
Bring joy to your work. Before you know it you will have created something that will touch other people’s lives. It’s not the best metric but 2 years ago we had zero followers on various social media platforms. Now we have over 3K each on Insta, FB and Twitter. This sense of endorsement as your business grows is very rewarding and does make all the long hours worthwhile.
Where can you find the Harrogate Brewing Company?
Taproom: Open Friday, Saturday and Sundays, (and Thursdays in the summer months), their Taproom venue where you can see the brewery in action is located at Unit 7 Hookstone Centre, Hookstone Chase, Harrogate, HG2 7HW. You’ll also find live music, and street vendors on Saturdays.
Royal Parade: Their newly opened pub, at 6 Royal Parade (formerly the Old Bell), is currently open everyday from 12pm.
Website: https://harrogatebrewery.co.uk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harrogatebrewingco