Sparkke – the brewery on a mission – has taken the next step in ambitious goals with purchase of Collingwood’s historic Vine Hotel, set to become a new pub-brewery showpiece.
In 1869, the Caledonian Hotel was the first built on the site of what is now the Vine Hotel, on the corner of Wellington and Derby Streets in Collingwood, in the eastern heart of Melbourne. Its name was changed the following year to the Eight Hours Hotel, and again in 1875 to The Vine.
In the early 1890s it was owned by West End Brewing Co, before selling to Carlton Brewing Co in 1897, which demolished the original structure, erecting in its place the two-storey Edwardian building seen today. The walls were originally red brick, but have long since been rendered and painted.
South Australian craft brewery Sparkke was founded late 2016 by all women, and formed on a message of social change.
On International Women’s Day this year Sparkke opened its redeveloped Whitmore pub-brewery, Sparkke at the Whitmore, with help from drinks industry angel investors Founders First.
Victorian-based Founders First specialises in early- to mid-stage brewery and distillery start-ups, as a craft beverages accelerator. It’s the brainchild of former Port Adelaide CEO and drinks industry veteran Mark Haysman.
Founders recently raised $15.8 million issuing 31.5 million shares at 50c, and will begin trading on the Australian stock exchange tomorrow (17 December).
Its prospectus, released last Friday, details a subsidiary titled Founders First Sparkke, which has loaned $1.88 million to Sparkke for the move into Collingwood.
The Hotel, which has been closed for a number of years, was transacted in a deal through Colliers International’s Guy Wells and Andrew Ryan.
It will be re-styled by award-winning hospitality architect Iva Foschia, of IF Architecture, and slated to reopen by the end of 2020. Based only blocks away within Collingwood, Foschia is in tune with the client’s motives, suggesting the original brick façade will be rescued.
“When designing these early concepts, it was important for us to align the aesthetic and design with Sparkke’s values to ensure the venue feels local and contextual.”
Sparkke’s launch triggered the most successful crowdfunding campaign in Australian history for pre-sale alcohol.
Most of its product will continue to be produced at Brick Lane Brewery in Dandenong, with plans for only a small, ‘theatrical’ brewery at the Vine, but co-founder Rose Kentish explains the relationship with Founders First gives them the resources to take their company ambition to the next level.
“At heart, we’re social activists delivering to a market that wants to purchase from a company whose values and product ethos are aligned with theirs.
“We are on a mission to be the most loved and the most successful for-purpose alcohol company in the world.”
