James Casey started brewing beers in his kitchen until encouragement from friends and family persuaded him to make it official. Along with wife Sarah, James launched the Pretty Decent beer company back in 2017.

As he works in the charity sector, James decided to incorporate this into the company. A portion of each sale is given to charity.

He said:

We were never going to be able to compete with massive businesses, but we wanted an inclusive, social space that allows us to talk to local people.

They officially opened their doors on Sheridan Road, Forest Gate in April of 2017 and have worked with charities and independent businesses ever since, including Pup Aid, local food banks and Eat or Heat.

When the first lockdown began, they applied and were granted a Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Business Grant fund and a Bounce Back loan (BBLS) which allowed them to access necessities for the company, enabling them to continue to give back to local people.

It allowed us that breathing space. Our main goal was to keep ourselves open so we could continue to give to charity and give local people jobs.

A huge factor in their survival was creating an online platform where people could purchase their beers without going to their taproom or shop, a feature they plan on keeping post-pandemic. The team of five have all been working tirelessly to ensure the company’s survival over the last few months and their smart thinking has led to the creation of virtual beer tasting and new beer flavours.

Quarantine has seemingly made people more local conscience with new-found customer interest in small businesses. James believes this needs to continue post pandemic if independents are to survive.

However, there were multiple times when they felt they could go out of business. With a small, local team they are able to keep everyone employed, further benefiting the community, but James acknowledges that firms who rely entirely on direct customer contact might not be so lucky.

The company has had to be flexible, as pubs have been mass purchasing when open and not purchasing during lockdowns, but James says he refuses to hold anyone to an agreement they made before the pandemic.

The new customer interest in Pretty Decent may not remain after the pandemic, as people’s drinking habits will change depending on whether they are confined to the house or can go out to drink at local pubs.

People can help by keeping it local. If we can help with that, then it means the world to us. Local support has been the reason we have been able to survive right now, no other reason than that.

So, while the pandemic has had a negative impact, there is still hope for a stable and comfortable future.

As shopping and going out continues to be impeded, the government has been encouraging spending on local businesses while in lockdown, in order to help them survive through this trying time.

New data from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy is helping to shine some light on how independent businesses coped during 2020, and the results speak to a cautiously hopeful future.

Newham in 2020 granted a total of 4,040 Small Business Grants (SBGF) and Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Business Grants (RHLGF) with a total of £56,090,000. While Newham and Havering have been slower to give Local Authority Discretionary Grant Funds to those they have approved, Newham was the third-highest granting Borough in London, giving a total of 635 of these funds.

The Pretty Decent Beer Company’s next move is to “increase local impact” and with the arrival of a daughter Effie last year, the hope continues to grow.

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