Restructuring deal safeguards future of Yorkshire brewery

Copper Dragon Brewery was on the brink of administration after the company's pub arm, Copper Dragon Estates, went into liquidation just before Christmas.

The brewery, which employs 55 staff, recently underwent a 4m extension at its site on the Snaygill Industrial Estate in Skipton as part of plans to expand from a micro to a regional brewery.

Managing director Steve Taylor said the expansion, in November 2008, came at a time when the world financial system was in crisis. It is understood the company's overdraft facility was subsequently withdrawn.

After weeks of uncertainty, Mr Taylor said yesterday he had managed to restructure the company's balance sheet in order to safeguard the brewery and its staff.

Its six pubs in Yorkshire and Lancashire will be kept under the Copper Dragon brand.

He added: "With the outstanding support and understanding of every single member of staff, customers and suppliers, we have all worked tirelessly over the Christmas and New Year period to get through and I'm delighted to say that we are now back on track."

Copper Dragon brews five hand-crafted cask ales in Golden Pippin, Scots 1816, Black Gold, Best Bitter and Challenger IPA and supplies more than 2,000 pubs as well as many UK retail outlets and foreign markets.