NEW START, NEW IMAGE

Veterans beer has always had a great taste, but last year I decided I wanted to make it even better and give it a fresh focus.

With the help of my expert advisor David Martin from The Business of Drinks, lots of market research and a local brewery, I devised three new core beers: Dambuster, No Man’s Land and Normandy. I moved production from Scotland to Sussex so that I could oversee it more easily. With most of my customers based on near the south coast of England, I wanted to boost the quality of the beer by reducing the distance it had to travel, too.

I spent many long days coming up with logos for the new range. I rejected around 40 ideas – from an armoured vehicle shooting rockets to soldiers running with guns  – before opting for something bold but simple. This brand exists to represent every part of the military and so, now, does the logo, featuring a combination of the insignia of the navy, army and RAF.

I launched the new drinks last summer and they’ve been incredibly popular with our customers. The feedback on beer-review site Untappd has also been extremely positive.