Beer maker Thwaites has announced it will relocate from its 200 year old brewery in order to modernise and grow.
The move away from its traditional home in the heart of Blackburn, Lancashire, will allow the brewery to make a bigger range of ales according to CEO Daniel Thwaites.
The brewer has been looking for a new site for around two years and recently found a suitable situation in Ribble Valley, just a few miles up the road.
While the size of the brewery planned for the new site is in fact smaller than the current brewery, the company says it will be more efficient, eco-friendly and could emply more staff than the current site.
The new site also has the benefit of drawing on the same water source as Thwaites 200 year old site, meaning it will be able to maintain the taste and character of its products.
The new site will also incorporate a visitors centre and local hope that Thwaites popular shire horses and wagons, which used to deliver its beer and are still retained as an important part of the company’s heritage, will be retained as part of this attraction.
Construction of the new brewery will begin in 2015.