Greene King partners with Kained Holdings for second joint venture

by XPRESS, 22 February 2018

The partnership will see a six-figure investment by Greene King at the former Drouthy Neebors pub in St Andrews that will lead to the unveiling of a new gin distillery and 60-cover restaurant.

Kained Holdings already runs three bars with Greene King – Lebowskis in Edinburgh and Lebowskis in Glasgow Southside, as well as The Crafty Pig in Glasgow.

Its portfolio also includes a number of other bars and restaurants, including Glasgow’s Porter & Rye and The Finnieston.

This latest venture sees Greene King Pub Partners bring a major capital investment to the table and in combination with the team at Kained Holdings promises to deliver an “entirely new product for sale in the on-trade market”.

The distillery will produce a classic-style London dry gin, with a focus on clean, crisp refreshment.

The name of the new brand will be released ahead of the pub’s planned relaunch in late March but the joint-venture concept means the new gin brand will be produced jointly by Greene King and Kained Holdings.

Greene King Pub Partners managing director John Forrest said: “This is a project that we’ve been extremely excited about for some time and it’s fantastic to be able to let everyone know about our second joint venture. We’re delighted to be working with Kained Holdings. It’s recognised across the industry as one of Scotland’s leading multiple operators and right from the start we’ve shared a joint vision for the exciting places where this project could lead. The concept of the joint venture is about creativity and trying something new, with Greene King bringing its big business expertise to the exciting visions of innovative entrepreneurs. The aim is to create something new, fresh and innovative that develops new avenues for tenanted and leased businesses and explores the potential for pubs of the future.”

Graham Suttle, managing director of Kained Holdings, added: “We are all delighted to be moving forward in an exciting new partnership with Greene King. The core values at Kained centre around innovation and development, which this project is a direct reflection of. People sometimes forget Kained is just three guys with tonnes of passion for real food and drink, who are blessed with a totally awesome team of people. This announcement is the culmination of all those people’s work, and I’m proud to be part of it. It’s this shared passion to deliver things that are new and exciting that really kick-started this project, with both companies engaged and driven to deliver something unique and not done before. St Andrews is a really cool place, with a thriving hospitality scene and lots of great talent on show. We are very excited to join the ranks and bring our own touches to the town’s eating and drinking circuit.”

Greene King launched its first joint venture last year at the Butcher’s Tap in Marlow in partnership with Tom Kerridge

Article credit: Propel info