Sarsaparilla,
Raspberry Vinegar,
Creamy Soda,
Heritage Cola,
Brewed Ginger
My friend Tom Cowan is an intrepid traveller, not because he wants to be but because his wife Lesley likes to travel a lot so Tom has to keep up with her.
This year they have travelled to two locations in regional Australia where Tom has created video clips and posted them on Vimeo.
The other day Tom sent me a link to his new Vimeo which has a strong family connection for him... it details the story of a father and son who are related to Tom, and a very successful marketing project they have started in Beechworth, restoring an old brewery from the 1850s.
Tom wrote:
"Mark Cowan is my nephew, my brother John's son. Mark was born when his dad was staying at McKinley Ave, I was 15. I remember his tiny baby shoes.Mark called me unexpectedly and invited me to come down to Beechworth and see the brewery. When Mark and his son Nathan bought the brewery building it was full of pigeon shit. It was an epic renovation and the video shows what a cool place it has become. They invited me to join as a consultant to their media studio.
Mark is an incredibly successful marketing czar with offices in Melbourne, Shanghai, Singapore, London, Sydney, Ho Chi Minh City.
In 1865 George Billson started brewing and making cordials.
After 170 years operation the brewery was on its last legs. It has now been revived by Mark and Nathan. The new Billsons is still making the original 5 heritage cordials and Mark and Nathan have added 50 new flavours.
It required a big clean up project to reinstate this thriving business in Beechworth. Last year it turned over $150 million.
I was most interested in the father/son dynamic in the business. But that’s a much bigger longer story than my video."
Tom Cowan
notes from Wikipedia
In January 1872, Billson took on his eldest son George Henry Billson as a business partner, and together, G. Billson and Son expanded operations. Selecting a site at 29 Last Street on land which is rich in spring water of exceptional purity, the Billsons opted to build a ‘tower brewery,’ a design which had only recently been adopted in Britain.
Billson's brewery, along with a cordial factory, cooperage, and stables for the brewery's horse teams, were all built in 1872-73.
After government analysis proved its water quality, an ‘aerated waters manufacture’ was added in 1874. A wine and spirit department was added in 1880.
That's very cool! I will definitely have to grab a few bottles, what an excellent project for the family to come together on. If they'd documented the process, it would have made a great little doco too, of a little slice of Australian history 😀
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThat was Alix, I just hit publish too quickly!
DeleteThanks Alix, yes, it's astonishing what people can do when they set their minds to doing something. I particularly love the idea of recycling old buildings which were purpose built, saving them from ruin or demolition. I think we can see from what Tom has told us about Mark and Nathan is that are are visonary people who also had the business acumen to make it work.
ReplyDeleteI know Tom would like to do more on their story.
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