| Aston Manor Brewery |
Article Index for Aston |
Website Links For Aston |
Information AboutAston Manor Brewery |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT ASTON MANOR BREWERY | |
| cider | |
| breweries and beverage companies of the united kingdom | |
| companies based in birmingham, england | |
|
The company was formed in 1981 by four ex-employees of Ansells after Ansells closed its Aston Cross brewery. A new brewery was opened, in the nearby Thimblemill Lane (at ). In 1984, Herefordshire Hop farmer Michael Hancocks, one of the company's suppliers, bought into the business. By 1998 Aston Manor was reporting profits of over £1million, with 70% of its sales being cider. However, because of a slump in the market, strong competition, and an unwillingness on the part of company management to take advantage of a tax loophole, by 2001 profits had fallen to £740,500.1 INDUSTRIAL SABOTAGE PLOT In 2001, Michael Hancocks, a major shareholder (12% of the shares) in Aston Manor, organized a conspiracy to contaminate the cider products of the company's rival, H. P. Bulmer . He recruited a former Aston Manor employee, chemist Richard Gay, to produce a yeast that he planned to introduce into Bulmer's production line, recruited his daughter's partner, Paul Harris, to transport the contaminant, and paid a Bulmer's employee, Russell Jordan, £16,000 to introduce the contaminant. Jordan did not introduce the contaminant, but reported the plot to Bulmers and to the police, and the plot was foiled.2345 REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS |
|
|