Hannah has always been passionate about understanding where produce and raw ingredients come from. So when she started her own business, Hiver Beer, it was an un[bee]lievable process.
In this podcast episode Hannah tells us about the experiences that led to creating the first beer that used honey in the fermentation process. And as a result starting Hiver Beer.
After university, Hannah fell into a job at a brewery. It was here that she was given the opportunity to get creative with beer, and get really hands on with the raw ingredients that went into it. So that was where her passion for beer came from. But what about the bees?
Having gone along to a honey tasting experience, Hannah became fascinated with bees and wanted to learn more about beekeeping. She was in luck, a few weeks later she was called in to help with some hives on the top of the Tate Britain. And that's how the idea to bring honey and beer came together.
After a few trial brews Hannah successfully got the "idea to liquid". Hiver has grown from a stall at Maltby Street market and a few local restaurants to being available nationwide in Waitrose, Ocado, Sainsbury's and Amazon.
There have been challenges along the way. At the onset of the pandemic, revenues dropped to 12% within a matter of days. But with Hannah taking the lead and making decisions quickly, they've survived. Being a strong female leader has also been an advantage for the business, as it has made them different from the rest of the male-dominated industry.
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