Never before has a pint been so planet-friendly thanks to Huddersfield based drinks dispense company, Brewfitt. The company’s innovative, energy efficient, CoolTube system could also save the average pub in the region of £2700 per year.

The Department of Environment agrees, and has announced Brewfitt as one of 21 winners to each share a £500,000 government grant in its recent ‘Innovate for Growth’ competition aimed at the development of greener and more productive food and drink technologies.

The CoolTube cooling device has modernised the way drinks are dispensed. It chills drinks as required and a single, pint sized device provides the capability to serve different drinks at different temperatures, enabling manufacturers’ serving recommendations to be easily achieved.

This cooling system out-dates that which many pubs still use where drinks are cooled in the cellar, warmed in pipes on the way to the bar and then cooled again before serving.

Brewfitt’s Managing Director, Curtis Paxman, who was presented with the grant at the Houses of Parliament this week, commented: “CoolTube has many benefits, including energy efficiency, space saving and reductions in the amount of wasted drink. We’re delighted to have won this grant and plan to use it to have CoolTube independently verified.”

The twenty other winners of the available grants included a farm irrigation system that can sharply cut water use and a website that makes buying local food online more affordable and convenient.

Still to be announced by the government later this year are the winners of a £15m competition which is for products that increase the sustainability of food and drink processing.

Brewfitt recently attended a golf day hosted by the Brewing, Food & Beverage Industry Suppliers Association, also known as the BFBi.

The BFBi is the only international trade association representing the entire value chain supplying the food and drink industry worldwide. As members of the association, Curtis Paxman, Managing Director of Brewfitt, attended the day on behalf of the business.

The golf day provided a great opportunity for Brewfitt to meet fellow members of the association and reinforce their partnership with the BFBi. The event was enjoyed by all despite the typical British weather supplying torrential conditions for the golfers!

Curtis Paxman said “It is important to be an active member of such an influential association, the BFBi has helped the industry meet many challenges over the years and events such as the golf day allow Brewfitt to meet other members whilst maintaining a strong relationship with the association itself”.

To find out more about how the BFBi help Brewfitt and other business within the Brewing, Food & Beverage Industry Click Here.

Photo L-R: Rob Elson – Molson Coors, Curtis Paxman – Brewfitt, Chris Merrifield – Heineken

Huddersfield based family business, Brewfitt has offered young aspiring student, Beth Doyle, the opportunity to gain valuable experience within the firm, and its sister company Paxman, through a college apprenticeship scheme.

Beth, a student at the National Business College, will be taking on the role of Administration Assistant; she will not only be helping on the day-to-day running of the business but will receive invaluable exposure and insight into the industry which will be of great benefit to her in her future endeavours.

Brewfitt is the UK’s leading drinks dispense company and is at the forefront of the latest technological developments within the industry. Brewfitt’s latest award winning innovation is a combination of its core products CoolTube and 2Flow. Working together, one simple change of the coolant flow rate will change the temperature of a dispense product instantly. Installation is simple, with the smaller coolers allowing for substantial energy savings.

Beth commented: “One of the requirements of my course is to gain experience in a real business environment. I am really looking forward to working with both Paxman and Brewfitt and learning how both businesses operate. It is also a great opportunity for me to develop key administration skills which will certainly help me to successfully complete my course.”

James Paxman, Operations Director at Brewfitt said: “We are delighted to have Beth with us here at Brewfitt and Paxman; young students have creative and enthusiastic ideas which we are more than willing to welcome. At Brewfitt we are passionate about giving back to the local community, Beth was looking for some work experience and we saw this as an opportunity to help her kick start her career, she will undoubtedly take a lot away from her experience and time with Brewfitt.”

Brewfitt Ltd is delighted to announce that it has won The University of Huddersfield Innovation Award at The 2011 Huddersfield Examiner Business awards.
To win this category Brewfitt demonstrated that it had engaged in the commercialisation of research and development of intellectual property with outstanding results.

Brewfitt’s latest innovation is a combination of its core products CoolTube and 2Flow. Working together, one simple change of the coolant flow rate will change the temperature of a dispense product instantly. Installation is simple, with the smaller coolers allowing for substantial energy savings.

The company also worked with The University of Huddersfield to study the thermo-fluid performance of CoolTube which has lead to product improvements which in turn have led to increased sales.

Brewfitt prides itself on bringing innovative products to the market – reinforcing its reputation in the hospitality, brewing, soft drinks and leisure industries throughout the UK.

The awards ceremony took place on Thursday 3^rd November at the Galpharm Stadium in Huddersfield and was hosted by BBC Look North presenter Harry Gration.

Upon accepting the award, Neil Paxman, owner Glenn’s brother, said: “Thanks must go to my father who originally invented the Ice Bank beer coolers in 1963. We’d like to dedicate this award to him.’’

Managing director Curtis Paxman added: “We are thrilled to have won The University of Huddersfield Innovation Award and be recognised for our achievements. Without the team we have at both Paxman Coolers and Brewfitt we wouldn’t be where we are today.’’

In total the Paxman family won three awards on the night with Brewfitt Ltd’s sister company Paxman Coolers, winning The HSBC International Business of The Year Award for demonstrating an outstanding ability to overcome barriers to promote international sales of its revolutionary hair loss prevention system, which helps thousands of people worldwide to keep their hair and their dignity during chemotherapy.

To complete the hat trick, cousin Eric Paxman won the Britannia Rescue New Business of the Year Award for his restaurant; ‘Eric’s Restaurant’ which opened its doors in Lindley a year ago and has enjoyed amazing success and glowing reviews.

These award wins mark the end of a highly successful year for the entire Paxman family, with 2012 already promising to be a year of great opportunity and continued success.

To read more about The Examiner Business Award winners click here.

Brewfitt is delighted to announce the appointment of Katie Hughes, to the role of Sales and Customer Service Assistant at the company.

Katie joined Brewfitt over a year ago as Office Administrator and excelled at any task she was given, completing everything to a very high standard. When the role of Sales Assistant became available it was a natural progression for Katie to fill this vacancy and take on this new challenge.

Katie’s primary responsibilities will be to deal with new and existing customer enquiries, process orders and maintain the high customer service levels that Brewfitt customers have come to expect. She will also provide ongoing support to the senior management team including Edward Turner who joined Brewfitt in May as Sales Manager.

Katie said of her appointment: “From day one I have always been given the help and support I needed to fulfil my role and was immediately welcomed into the team. I am delighted to have been given this new opportunity and am ready for the challenges that lie ahead.”

James Paxman, Brewfitt’s Operations Director, added: “Since joining Brewfitt a year ago, Katie has been a great asset to the team. She completes every task with enthusiasm and determination showing her dedication to the company. When given the opportunity to get involved with the customer service and sales side of the business she didn’t look back.”

Brewfitt is pleased to announce that it has been shortlisted for The University of Huddersfield Innovation Award at The Huddersfield Examiner Business Awards.

The award category was open to any business engaged in the commercialisation of research and development of intellectual property, across all sectors. Brewfitt has a specific research and development function which focuses on developing new technologies to stay ahead of the competition and be seen as a key driver in the industry.

Its latest innovation is the combination of its core products CoolTube and 2Flow, which has been developed by Neil Paxman. Working together, one simple change of the coolant flow rate will change the temperature of a dispense product instantly. Installation is simple, with the smaller coolers allowing for substantial energy savings. No product coils are required in the primary cooler, creating greater efficiencies with greatly improved maintenance and breakdown procedures. With CoolTube and 2Flow no secondary cooler is required under the bar which creates more storage space and reduces energy consumption. Brewfitt sees this as the future of cooling within the drinks dispense market.

Curtis Paxman, Managing Director of Brewfitt commented: “We are delighted to have been nominated for The University of Huddersfield Innovation Award. At Brewfitt we invest a lot of time into the research and development of our products and work hard to ensure that we are continually at the fore front of the industry. To be shortlisted for this award is a great honour.”

Winners will receive their trophies and certificates at a gala awards night on Thursday, November 3, at the Galpharm Stadium. BBC Look North presenter Harry Gration will be hosting the gala event, which will also include a celebrity speaker.

To read more about the awards click here.

The ‘green’ issue, in terms of sustainability and environmentally friendly products/services, is at the forefront of the political and public agenda. Therefore, bars up and down the country are increasingly looking at ways to improve their green credentials, particularly in making processes and products eco-friendly.

The leisure, hospitality and bar industries have quite an effect on the environment because they are such a large part of the British culture, with even the smallest of villages having at least one pub within walking distance.

Behind the bar, there are several new products and innovations on the market which can help to reduce energy consumption, whilst reducing capital costs at the same time.

For example, 2Flow is a coolant liquid designed to freeze at sub-zero temperatures. It replaces water and glycol in existing and ice bank beer and soft drinks coolers, providing ‘extra cold’ beverages without the need for purchasing extra equipment. It’s a stable, non-corrosive liquid which also saves energy costs as it has superior thermal properties so it can be as much as 20% more effective than other sub-zero cooling solutions. For the average pub running 2 coolers, they would save up to £226 per year on energy costs by using 2Flow.

Cooltube is a heat exchanger that is over 6 times smaller and lighter than standard heat exchangers which is compatible with any coolant medium and fits into confined spaces, including directly under the font. It provides maximum efficiency in a minimum space, resulting in energy efficiencies and a lower carbon footprint.

Other products that can help bars to become more environmentally friendly are cleaning products, such SteriBev and SteriEx solutions which have no COSHH or environmental impact.

In supporting bars that go the extra mile to reduce their carbon footprint, it’s a great way to encourage more businesses to find out how they can ‘go green’ too.