Aubergine partners with Ventorq to say cheers to Amity Brew Co

Virtual PR and content agency, Aubergine, has partnered with ecommerce and marketing consultancy Ventorq to launch start-up craft brewery and e-commerce platform, Amity Brew Co.

The agencies collaborated to produce cohesive Branding, Design, PR and Social which has seen the brewery, headed by a team formerly of BrewDog, BeerHawk and Buxton brewery, sell out their first batch of beer within 48 hours. 

Amity Brew Co originally was due to launch in autumn 2020 with the opening of a brewery and taproom in the historic setting of Sunny Bank Mills in Leeds but in the light of C-19 the opportunity to build links with the local community through e-commerce brought the launch forward by four months.

Aubergine co-founder, Verity Clarke, said: “We are a virtual agency which makes use of a network of homeworking freelancers so when C-19 hit we were able to move quickly to react to the ever-changing landscape.  The meaning of the word Amity is community and friendship so we have built on this by engaging dialogue with the local and beer community about the launch. We gained 1,000 Insta followers within the first week so it has certainly hit a note with people who were desperate to hear a positive story in all the doom and gloom of lockdown.” 

Ventorq Designer Tom Matthews said: “Amity Brew Co take beloved traditional beer styles and bring them into the modern era, so the branding had to involve a mix of old and new, traditional and modern, to champion this ethos. The logo uses a friendly and almost nostalgic cursive font and the supportive text is a modern san serif font to create a clean and easily legible accompaniment. The logo is tilted upwards and forwards as a sign of progression and growth. Each beer has its own identity, formed by colour and shape.”

Co-Founder of Amity Brew Co, Richard Degnan, said: “To open a hospitality business at a time when many are struggling and sadly closing was an enormous risk for us but it also felt like the right time too. We prioritised our e-commerce launch which has proven very successful so far.  Aubergine and Ventorq were natural partners for us, they adapted quickly to shout about our launch and build excitement within the community.”

Nicholas and Harris is the bread and butter for PR agency Aubergine

PR and content agency, Aubergine, has been awarded the PR contract to manage two retail brands on behalf of leading bakery manufacturer, Nicholas & Harris part of the Finsbury Food Group.

The virtual PR consultancy, specialising in the food, tech and health industries, secured the contract after a 4way pitch.

Nicholas & Harris products are stocked in Sainsbury, Ocado and Waitrose with retail brands Vogel’s and Livlife, Aubergine will be handling the press office, consumer PR and activations.

Ruth McGrath, Brand Marketing Manager at Nicholas & Harris said: “Aubergine stood out because of their journalist-led approach but also for their ability to step back and look at the bigger picture.

“It’s an exciting time for our brands with some innovative NPD in the pipeline and I’m looking forward to growing and engaging our consumers markets with Aubergine.”

Founded by former BBC and Channel Four journalist Emma Gardner and experienced PR practitioner Verity Clarke, Aubergine works with a network of highly experienced consultants across the UK to produce PR and content campaigns.

The agency has recently been nominated for three industry awards in this year’s PRmoment Awards including Boutique Agency of the Year alongside campaign awards Media Relations of the Year and FMCG Campaign of the Year for their work with client, leading health drink brand Chuckling Goat.

Aubergine co-founder, Verity Clarke, said: “Both Vogel’s and Livlife are challenger brands and are experimenting with innovation which is really going to shake up the bread category. We are over the moon to be representing them into 2021.”