How it started
If you’re reading this, you may have visited the taproom of 360° Brewing Co. in the Bluebell Business Estate. It was the home of 360°’s brewery, office and taproom, and where my story with this venue began.
My name is Josh, and I am the founder of Everyday Brew Co., which is now located at what was 360°’s old brewery and taproom. I joined 360° in 2021 to build, start, and manage their taproom — which we did on a shoestring budget to start with. I was the only taproom employee for the first four months. The first hire was Freyja, who, unluckily for her, ended up becoming my partner in life, crime, and this new business venture.
In the first year, we opened the taproom — who knew if it would work? It was in the middle of nowhere, with few houses nearby, and frankly, the taproom was a little rough around the edges at first. I had spent my entire career in hospitality and had been a bit rubbish for a good portion of it, however I like to think that by the time I joined 360°, I had figured out how to be a semi-reasonable manager. I had opened a restaurant and a pub/hotel in my previous roles and had a clear picture in my head about what it took to get something like this started.
I remember during my interview for the job being asked, “How are you going to make this a profitable and successful hospitality business?” My response: “Do you want the fancy answer that makes me sound good, or the real answer?” Of course, I was asked for the real answer, which was this: “If we deliver something simple, with excellent customer service and time to grow naturally, it will work. But it’ll be scary, because it could take a long time to click. It won’t happen overnight, and a fancy event or gimmick won’t bring success. The right people will find us, and when they like what we do, they will spread the word. It will lose money for a while, but with consistency, a great service, backed with a good product — then maybe it’ll work.”
Thankfully, with a dedicated team, the local community discovering us, and the pull of 360°’s brand, it did kick off. So, in year two, we introduced wood-fired pizza with our Flour & Water kitchen. Then it continued to grow and grow. I know — I’m not talking about Everyday Brew Co. yet, I’m getting there. With time I progressed through the company: by year three I had moved into sales (while keeping a strong eye on all things taproom); and in year four I became the General Manager.
By the time I became GM, we had felt the effects of COVID hitting everyone hard: inflation, interest rates, cost of living crisis…just from a taproom perspective, our customers were feeling the pinch. The brewing industry as a whole was also struggling — every cost was through the roof, and the big macro-brewing companies had reacted to the craft beer boom of the late 2010s. It was harder to sell to a shrinking number of venues. Every market we operated in was hit by high costs and an increasingly difficult trading landscape. When I took over as GM, it was tough. We had a great brand, but it was still hard to make sure the business could continue.
July 2025 rolled around. The owners of 360° reached out to me, and the decision was made: the lease would not be renewed, and the business had to change to survive. Gut punch! In that moment, every hour worked, every smile shared, and every tear shed with the best team I have ever worked with, seemed to go up in smoke. Melodramatic maybe, but it really felt that way. The business wasn’t closing; it was moving to a new model. The brewery equipment we owned would move to our sister brewery, where we could brew and contract brew with friends in Sussex. The office would move to our sister winery. The business wasn’t ending, just changing.
In that moment, though, I couldn’t see the wood for the trees. It felt like I had failed. The team had worked so hard, and the owners acknowledged we were on the right path, but renewing the lease was too risky — it could jeopardize the business’s survival, and they couldn’t take that risk. I felt like I had let the team down. The crushing thought that we might lose many people because we couldn’t keep them on felt pretty awful.
This was where Everyday Brew Co.’s seed was planted — this crazy idea: what if I took the lease on part of the building, reopened a new taproom and restaurant, and re-hired all the old staff? I could change things and do everything I had wanted with the taproom…I could put my money where my mouth was. This idea scared the living lights out of me. I had some money, not very much. I sat on it for a few weeks, crunched the numbers, and eyeballed finance options…then went to the real decision maker. Drum roll, please — Freyja said, “OK, let’s do this.”
I knew I couldn’t do this behind 360°’s back. Once we made the decision and knew it was possible with the leaseholder, I spoke with the owners. Thankfully, they supported the idea. I was able to stay as GM of 360° while becoming the founder of Everyday Brew Co. We would become a home for the beers we had made together, and the story starts with 360°. Where it ends? Who knows — hopefully not with my immediate bankruptcy and Freyja leaving me.
Thanks for reading,
Josh x