Meet Cadu Gomes, originally from Sao Paulo in Brazil - who now lives in South East London with his young family. Cadu made local people happy, with a new business venture which created a focal point for the local community during Covid-19. Up until relatively recently (pre-pandemic) he was a graphic designer - working for drinks companies and brands such as Diageo, Guinness, Heineken and Strongbow. Now he's the proud owner of the BR3 Brewery, a Tap Room in Beckenham - having discovered a love of the brewing process (working for those brands), he turned a new found skill into his profession. Not only is he incredibly passionate about getting it right, with his design eye he has (perhaps unsurprisingly) also created a fantastic and successful brand. His leap of faith was buying an old lawnmower shop (with some financial help) and with a new sense of purpose he started a business during a difficult period that turned out to be beneficial timing-wise. Importantly he also sees himself as a vital part of a thriving local eco-system, with a Newsagent / local shop on one side of his business and a much loved Tapas restaurant on the other. We're launching our latest episode of Comms from the Shed today (on Wednesday) because tonight is pizza night - when Van Dough will drive their delicious sourdough pizzas round and park nearby. Everybody wins, because they go really well with his delicious drinks, pale ales, stouts and fruit sours - which they only use the best ingredients for. Tune in to hear about his journey pre, during and post pandemic.
INTRO
5mins - starting to think about brewing own beer, and starting from the bottom up.
9mins - making the decision to change focus: from Freelancing for drinks brands to brewing
10mins - making the transition from hiring others equipment to creating new drinks independently
13mins - raising the funds and making it work financially
14mins30 - delays during the pandemic and starting the business slowly...
16mins - Scaling up the business, and supporting other local businesses
18mins30s - The difference between the initial ideas and the business as it is now? "We started the business from our house...brewing in the kitchen and storing 3,000 bottles in my shed. Friends wanted to move in!"
21mins30s - what's the difference between 'The Tap Room' at BR3 and drinking in a traditional pub?
24mins30s - Examples of 2-3 of your best sellers and how they came about?
30mins - Did it help being a designer? "It was a nightmare! A horrible process."