A MALVERN brewery was shortlisted from more than 60 small food and drink producers in the West Midlands to present its beers to a supermarket giant Morrisons for a chance of supplying some of its local stores.

The Friday Beer Co, based in Malvern Link, was one of just 18 regional food and drink businesses and one of only two breweries to be invited to a special day at the end of June in Newport where the company pitched its beers to Morrisons buyers, customers and local stores staff as well as members of the WI.

In February this year the supermarket launched a national quest to find the best local food and drink with a view to stocking it in stores so British shoppers can sample more of the food and drink produced near to them.

The project, called The Nation’s Local Foodmakers, aims to recruit more than 200 new suppliers across England, Scotland and Wales in the first year. It comes in the wake of a new report revealing that only half the food eaten in the UK comes from British farmers.

Friday Beer Co director Gerald Williams said he heard about the scheme through Safe and Local Supplier Approval (SALSA) because as a small producer the business has a SALSA certificate.

“I filled in the application form earlier in the year and then received an email saying we had been shortlisted. In the application form I had to write a piece telling them why they should look at our products. It obviously caught their eye,” said Mr Williams.

During the day the Friday Beer Co representatives were interviewed by Morrisons buyers and a group of Morrisons’ customers sampled the beers and scored the company. Mr Williams said they are expecting to hear if they have made it through to the finals in the next week.

“We were very pleased to get through to the regional event – particularly being one of only two breweries. We don’t know any more at the moment but we are quietly excited. Getting shortlisted for the reginal event was an achievement and we are hoping to be selected for the final stage.

“It was a superb day. It was pretty intense all day but it was good fun and we had a lot of positive feedback.”

The Friday Beer Co was established in 2014 after three expert material scientists were made redundant. They came up with the idea of brewing real ale in the heart of the Malvern Hills using local and British ingredients to produce the flavours. The most recent addition to the range is a pilsner-style beer produced using Malvern spring water.

The business has just secured a contract with the Co-op to supply its beers to its stores in Worcestershire and Herefordshire - starting this September. “The Co-op has a national programme to have local suppliers in its stores. They set up a series of fairly long interviews at Stanbrook Abbey and we were accepted, said Mr Williams.

The Friday Beer Co has also just struck a deal with Cotswold-based The Craft Drink Co which supplies a range of artisan drinks produced in the Cotswolds and surrounding areas.