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31 August 2005

Wye Valley Brewery win 2004/2005 Oxoid Judges’ Special Award

Wye Valley Brewery, Stoke Lacy, Hereford, UK has won the £500 Oxoid Judges’ Special Award for the improvements they have made to their beer quality and brewery hygiene. The judges commented that the initiatives undertaken by this relatively small sized brewer were tremendously impressive and they were unanimous in presenting the Award to Wye Valley.

Jimmy Swan and his team at the brewery have not only improved systems internally but have also involved customers in quality initiatives. They received enthusiast support and praise from their customers for their Trade Quality Monitoring and Cellar Management programmes.

In their Trade Quality Monitoring Programme, Wye Valley asked customers to provide feedback on Clarity, Condition, Aroma and Flavour of casks received, scoring the product from 0-4 on simple questionnaires. The results of this ongoing programme are then monitored by the brewery. “The feedback is invaluable” says Jimmy Swan, “we are keen to rectify any problems experienced by our customers and are obviously delighted to receive positive scores!”

David Long, Director of the British Beer and Pub Association and one of the Awards’ Judges commented “We were impressed by Wye Valley ’s determination to learn from their customers via their Trade Quality Monitoring Programme. Their Cellar Management Programme allows them to share knowledge that leads to a better product being delivered at point of consumption – this is something that is normally out of the brewer’s control but, keen to maintain the reputation of their beers, Wye Valley have gone that extra mile in providing customers with practical information and training to allow their products to be delivered in a consistent and good manner”. The satisfaction of Wye Valley ’s customers was also evident in their entry, with one customer describing the cellar management course as “extremely informative and well organised”.

Further details of all of the winners in the 2004/2005 Oxoid Awards will be featured in a forthcoming issue of the company’s Setting Standards newsletter. For your copy, or to register for details for next year’s Oxoid Awards, please speak to your local Oxoid representative or contact Val Kane , tel: +44 (0) 1256 841144, fax: +44 (0) 1256 329728, email: val.kane@oxoid.com