0:00:01 > 0:00:03Small, family farms are in trouble.
0:00:03 > 0:00:06This hasn't seen any action for a while, has it?
0:00:06 > 0:00:10Business consultant Nick Hewer is going back to his Northern Irish roots
0:00:10 > 0:00:12to help them diversify
0:00:12 > 0:00:16and make radical changes before they go under.
0:00:16 > 0:00:17What can you do with 17 acres?
0:00:17 > 0:00:20But are the farmers ready for his advice?
0:00:21 > 0:00:24I'm not a farming guru with all the answers.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27But having observed many companies over more than 40 years,
0:00:27 > 0:00:32what I can offer is a great, big dollop of common sense.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37This series follows local farms
0:00:37 > 0:00:40embarking on a long-term fight for survival.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43- You're not turning bookings down, are you? - There'll be tough decisions...
0:00:43 > 0:00:48That source will pump for ever and a day, and they're going to sell it?
0:00:48 > 0:00:52But doing nothing is not an option.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56End of a long day, and for me, a depressing day.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05Nick is on his way to a 30-acre farm
0:01:05 > 0:01:10in Derrygonnelly near Enniskillen in County Fermanagh.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14For Gordon Fallis and his wife Rowena,
0:01:14 > 0:01:16there is no better place to be.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18This is just the best place to bring up a family.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22I grew up as a child here myself, and hopefully I'll be able to pass that on to my children.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26The problem is, Gordon is struggling to make the farm pay.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29Right now, they're living off the agricultural grants
0:01:29 > 0:01:34for land management, and Rowena's part-time work as a healthcare professional.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37But it's not enough to keep the farm going,
0:01:37 > 0:01:41a farm that has been in Gordon's family for generations.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44The land is fairly marginal. I think you'd be hard-pushed to make a viable living
0:01:44 > 0:01:47for yourself and your family from 30 acres in Fermanagh.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51The plan is to build a microbrewery.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55If Gordon can sell 500 litres of beer a week, the farm will survive.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58Nick Hewer has been called in to help.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01Gordon Fallis has a small 30-acre farm,
0:02:01 > 0:02:04but he needs to diversify. His hobby?
0:02:04 > 0:02:07Brewing. He makes a few bob at it,
0:02:07 > 0:02:10but now he needs to turn it into a serious business.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12And that's my concern,
0:02:12 > 0:02:14because turning a hobby into a profitable business
0:02:14 > 0:02:17requires a great deal more than simple, raw passion.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Nick has eight months to help Gordon set up his beer business
0:02:22 > 0:02:24and save the farm.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27Good morning, Gordon. How are you? I'm Nick. How are you?
0:02:27 > 0:02:29- How's it going?- Hello. - This is Rowena, my wife.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32My background's really an academic background in environmental science.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35I'm by no stretch of the imagination a businessman.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38- Who have we got here? - This is young Tom.
0:02:38 > 0:02:39And this is Catherine.
0:02:39 > 0:02:40- Hello, Catherine.- Hello.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44Nick's first job is to look around.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47It's a chance for his dog Jasmine to get some exercise.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51For Nick, it's a chance to get an understanding
0:02:51 > 0:02:54of what needs to be achieved to save the farm.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57So your interest in this farming is what?
0:02:57 > 0:03:00Because you're not farming in any traditional sense, are you?
0:03:00 > 0:03:02Not really in a commercial sense.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06- My main interest is to manage this land for conservation.- Yeah.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11Not a profitable sort of enterprise.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13No, it may be a noble sort of cause.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15Noble, but you've got to put food on the table, too.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17That's right.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Aware the family farm was unsustainable,
0:03:20 > 0:03:22two years ago, Gordon got a brewing licence.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25He's been supplying a few bars and a local restaurant
0:03:25 > 0:03:28with a range of beers called Inishmacsaint.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31Nick is about to get his first taste.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34So this is the alchemist's den, is it?
0:03:34 > 0:03:37This is it. This is the mad scientist laboratory here.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39This is a microbrewery.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42Well, no, this is actually what I would term a "nanobrewery".
0:03:43 > 0:03:46I'm looking forward to a little sip.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48- Take a smell first. Give it a swirl and see.- Yeah.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51- It's quite dark. - It is. That's a porter.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53- It's called a porter.- Right.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56It's like a light version of a stout, really. Can you smell it?
0:03:56 > 0:04:00Should be getting sort of caramel, roast coffee notes.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03This beer has only just finished its fermentation.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07It's what we'd term a very green beer. It wouldn't be ready to sell yet.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15It's all right. I like it.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24Oh, right. What's all this, then? You're not in the scrap metal business, as well, are you?
0:04:24 > 0:04:29To buy a microbrewery of this size off the shelf would really be prohibitive in terms of cost for us,
0:04:29 > 0:04:32so we've had to go back to the drawing board
0:04:32 > 0:04:34and take a different approach.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38What we've come up with is to buy old dairy equipment from farms in the local area,
0:04:38 > 0:04:41which have stopped dairying because they're too small.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43That's the way to do it. Good for you.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47When you've bolted this sort of Heath Robinson affair together,
0:04:47 > 0:04:52what sort of maximum volume would you get in terms of bottles per week?
0:04:52 > 0:04:55Per brew, we'd be able to produce 500 litres of beer,
0:04:55 > 0:04:57which would translate into 1,000 bottles.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00There's potential to run that three times a week,
0:05:00 > 0:05:02which would translate into 3,000 bottles a week.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06However, that would be at the very maximum end of capacity at the moment.
0:05:06 > 0:05:103,000 bottles tells me that's not a big microbrewery.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12What I want to get out of this is a living for myself
0:05:12 > 0:05:15and enable me to do my farming activities at the same time.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19I don't want to become the next Guinness or a millionaire, really.
0:05:19 > 0:05:20You don't?
0:05:20 > 0:05:22No. I'm very blessed to be living on a farm here,
0:05:22 > 0:05:25and it is a lifestyle choice that I've made
0:05:25 > 0:05:28and I like the idea of a cottage-sized brewery on the farm.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30I haven't run into many people like you.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33Most people are driving for the most they can possibly...
0:05:33 > 0:05:36They can't help themselves, they've got to keep growing.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38But you've said, "No, that's not what I'm about."
0:05:44 > 0:05:46In more than 40 years in business,
0:05:46 > 0:05:49my observation is that businessmen must keep growing,
0:05:49 > 0:05:52introducing new products, new services.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56Do you think Henry Ford said to himself one day,
0:05:56 > 0:06:00"Actually, I mustn't make any more cars. I'm making too many already"?
0:06:00 > 0:06:03No! It's in their stomach that they've got to keep growing.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07But here we have somebody, Gordon Fallis,
0:06:07 > 0:06:10the last thing he wants to do, he said to me,
0:06:10 > 0:06:12is to make a million. Now there's a turn up for the books.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18Before Nick presents his plan, he's keen to get a look at some finished beer.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20There is none on the farm,
0:06:20 > 0:06:24but he has tracked a bottle of lager down to a local golf club.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32That tastes great. But here's a problem.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35The bottled beer market's a crowded marketplace.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37This little chap is going to have to fight
0:06:37 > 0:06:40for its place on the shelf behind the bar.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43The standout values of this bottle,
0:06:43 > 0:06:47I would give...five out of 100.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50It's nowhere near good enough.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53Enough to kill it, frankly.
0:06:55 > 0:07:00The time has come for Nick to give Gordon his verdict.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02The beer might taste OK,
0:07:02 > 0:07:04but if it's going to save the farm,
0:07:04 > 0:07:06then there's some serious work to do.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10Thank you, Gordon.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13You're a very unusual character.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17Frankly, you're the first businessman I've ever met
0:07:17 > 0:07:21who's horrified at the idea that you might be successful.
0:07:21 > 0:07:27In a way, Gordon, your product and you have got the same problem.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30You're both starting from scratch, pretty much.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34This little bottle here has got to fight for its share on the shelf,
0:07:34 > 0:07:38and it's up against a crowded marketplace.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40Everybody's on that shelf, all saying, "Buy me."
0:07:40 > 0:07:45And this doesn't say, "Buy me." This says, "Bury me."
0:07:45 > 0:07:48It looks as though it's something from the funeral industry.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52I think what we were trying to achieve with labelling and branding we have at the minute
0:07:52 > 0:07:56is a cottage industry-type feel product, which isn't out there in the marketplace.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58Most bottled beers you see nowadays
0:07:58 > 0:08:01are very corporate, shiny-labelled.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04We wanted this to convey the impression that it is made on a farm, by a farmer,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07even to the point where the label's been stuck on by somebody.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10Fine. OK?
0:08:10 > 0:08:14Give that message to a good designer and they'll give you that.
0:08:14 > 0:08:19But what they'll give you will be something that you can actually read.
0:08:19 > 0:08:20The product's good.
0:08:20 > 0:08:26It just needs to be recognised as being good by more than just me.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30The name Inishmacsaint comes from a monastic settlement near the farm.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34The monks brewed beer for personal consumption.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36Nick has bigger plans.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40He's hoping a panel of experts will help him to convince Gordon
0:08:40 > 0:08:42to raise his game.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47Neil Lynas is involved in drinks marketing.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49Oliver Hughes runs bars all over the world.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52And Adrian Saunders is from CAMRA,
0:08:52 > 0:08:56an organisation that champions small, independent brewers.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00Nick wants to launch Inishmacsaint at CAMRA's Belfast Beer Festival
0:09:00 > 0:09:02in a couple of months.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04The fact that it is unfiltered and slightly cloudy,
0:09:04 > 0:09:07I just wonder how his customers are perceiving this,
0:09:07 > 0:09:09because they are so used to crystal-clear beer.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13The growing popularity of wheat beers has conditioned people,
0:09:13 > 0:09:15to a certain extent, to drinking a cloudy beer.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19I think the benefits of taste far outweigh the cosmetic value of a clear beer.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21That's a good lager, by the way.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24I would be a little bit worried in the sense that
0:09:24 > 0:09:27lager drinkers are usually the least discerning of all beer drinkers.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29It's very much a mass market.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32What about the packaging? That really is your area, I think.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34This is your shop window.
0:09:34 > 0:09:39I just wonder, does it give the customer
0:09:39 > 0:09:41the overall standout from the crowd,
0:09:41 > 0:09:43which is a very cluttered place?
0:09:43 > 0:09:46I just noticed in your living room a picture with a lot of colour.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49- If I could go and get that, bring it back to you and let you see it?- Yes.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53Meanwhile, you're in the states now, you're in China.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Yeah, we were in China for Shanghai Expo.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58We opened a bar in New York six months ago.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01New York is a fascinating beer market.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04I don't think Gordon has got the States in his sights.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07My initial plan was to concentrate on the local market here.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10We've established a presence, there's a demand for it there.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12If we can start small and spread outwards.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15It's not difficult, these guys are experts in their field.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19They bring beers in from all over the world.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22I just happened to spot this earlier.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25It is, for me, something with the mystical Irish cross,
0:10:25 > 0:10:27the backdrop of Fermanagh.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31- Maybe the colour, and the use of this, on the bottle...- Ah-ha.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33..could bring a different dimension.
0:10:33 > 0:10:34Can I ask a terrible question?
0:10:34 > 0:10:36Is it too long as a name?
0:10:38 > 0:10:42No... I wasn't sure at first. It's really grown on me.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45- I'm afraid the name's non-negotiable, Nick. - OK, hands up. Sorry... Hands up.
0:10:45 > 0:10:51Is there room, say, in the British market, in the English market, for the beer like Inishmacsaint?
0:10:51 > 0:10:54A good quality beer, you know, will sell anywhere.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56We'd be delighted to launch your beer in the States,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59put it in there and get a bit a publicity around it, you know.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01Get a bit of life into it.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03It might be a good thing. That went really well.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05Three experts liked everything about it.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07They liked the product.
0:11:07 > 0:11:12They loved the imagery on the big poster, which may be translated onto the label itself.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15They liked Gordon. They liked everything about it.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18The possibilities, they say, are endless.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22Let's just get Gordon on board and I think we could have a runaway success.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28Nick might have left amidst talk of New York
0:11:28 > 0:11:33but as winter sets in, the realities of building a brewery, and of running a farm,
0:11:33 > 0:11:35have sent Gordon crashing back to earth.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38We do a lot of coppicing of hedges
0:11:38 > 0:11:40and the season has really just opened.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44I'm doing a bit of that at the minute, too, and that's quite time-consuming.
0:11:44 > 0:11:49I've also got to try and make a few quid for myself doing other jobs, as well.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53I've really a lot on my plate here, and it's quite hard to juggle all those things
0:11:53 > 0:11:55and try and make everything successful.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58With the Belfast Beer Festival only a month away,
0:11:58 > 0:12:01Nick has phoned to check on plans for the launch.
0:12:01 > 0:12:02How is it looking?
0:12:02 > 0:12:06Well, unfortunately, we won't be bringing anything to the festival this year.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09- You're not going to make it? - No, no, no.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12I think our priority is to try and get the plant installed here
0:12:12 > 0:12:14and get some production up and running.
0:12:14 > 0:12:19There's no way you can make the festival, it's a month away, or so, at least.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21We could've possibly got some beer out for it,
0:12:21 > 0:12:26but I'd prefer to concentrate on getting the brewery running, instead of putting in something substandard,
0:12:26 > 0:12:29- which would be counter-productive. - Oh dear, that is a disappointment.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33I really thought that was going to be a sort of launch pad for you.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35That's gone by the wayside.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38I want to offer you a challenge too.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41- Remember we talked about the labelling?- Yes, yes.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45What I want you to do is, you carry on in your own direction.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47That's fine.
0:12:47 > 0:12:52But what I am going to do, is go away and redesign the label at my end
0:12:52 > 0:12:54and then we'll stick them on bottles
0:12:54 > 0:12:59and we're going to see what the public thinks of your design and my design.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04- OK.- If I'm wrong, and you win, then I'll buy you a pint.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12Today is the Belfast Beer Festival.
0:13:12 > 0:13:17Beers from across Ireland and Great Britain have come to compete for prizes.
0:13:17 > 0:13:22Sadly, Gordon has disappointed Nick by failing to get Inishmacsaint ready in time.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26A lot of the local breweries are showcasing their products here,
0:13:26 > 0:13:30as well as a lot of beers from across the water and from the south of Ireland.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33We're really looking forward to trying a bit of the competition here
0:13:33 > 0:13:35and seeing what's going on.
0:13:35 > 0:13:42The festival will also give Gordon a chance to look at branding ahead of Nick's label challenge.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45There's parts of this I like and parts I'm not as keen on.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48It's got a quirky, funny name with an image to go with it.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51This is an example of a bit of branding I wouldn't be that keen on.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54If Nick's is something like this, I'd be disappointed.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57I think it doesn't really appeal to the modern market.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02The competition to design new labels has begun.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05Nick is working with Mike McKee at Loop Design.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09They already work with a few microbreweries and know the local market well.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14That's a customer who we have. That seems to be working very well.
0:14:14 > 0:14:19He's now supplying the likes of Sainsbury's and Tesco's. Yeah.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Gordon's using his friend, Julian Brown.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25Julian's day job is designing products, not packaging,
0:14:25 > 0:14:28but Gordon's convinced he'll come up with the goods.
0:14:28 > 0:14:34I want this to be sold as Fermanagh beer, a monastic brewing tradition, that's gone back 1,000 years.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36I think we've really got to tap into that.
0:14:36 > 0:14:37That I can't read.
0:14:37 > 0:14:43- That was an off the wall one. - I think so. Were you smoking strange tobacco when you did this?
0:14:45 > 0:14:48I like the simplicity and starkness of that two-tone label,
0:14:48 > 0:14:50which is quite similar to our old label.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54- Maybe we should just go back to the old label.- Maybe we should.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57We've got to produce something that's quite difficult to achieve.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00We've got to produce a branding, a label,
0:15:00 > 0:15:03that has a strong local look and content
0:15:03 > 0:15:07and yet is also clearly highly professional and full of quality.
0:15:07 > 0:15:12If Gordon, in his second run at this, comes up with something
0:15:12 > 0:15:16that meets those challenges, then I'll be delighted for him.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20Frankly, I want Mike and me to win. We like winning.
0:15:21 > 0:15:28It's Friday night in Belfast and, at one of its busiest pubs, battle is about to commence.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32- Gordon, this is what I've been up to. - This is what I've been up to.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34Right, let's have a look.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44- There are parts that I like, yes. - Right...
0:15:49 > 0:15:52You nearly gave me a heart attack!
0:15:52 > 0:15:54That's very funny.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56Where's the real stuff? Let's have a look.
0:15:58 > 0:16:03All right. I tell you, this is a lot better than the first show.
0:16:03 > 0:16:08- I'm not saying it's better than ours. - Yeah.- That's one big improvement.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12Anyway, listen, let's see what the market says.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15Let's see what the public says. Let's do a survey.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21I think, this one here.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25I like that one because it looks more traditional. This one just looks more like a beer.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29That one looks more manufactured. I think that one's the most attractive.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32The current score is 2 to 1 to myself and Julian.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34Nick's got a bit of catching up to do.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36I'd go for this one.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38You'd go for that one, the more traditional.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41I think this is trying to be too clever
0:16:41 > 0:16:45and I think for people of my age, it looks very dated.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49I think I'd be attracted to that one. It looks modern and new.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53A man of your age? Well, you've got to keep going.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56- I prefer that one.- OK, that is...
0:16:56 > 0:16:58You think that's got a bit of quality to it?
0:16:58 > 0:17:00- That says craft beer on it.- Yeah.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03So, therefore, that looks like a craft beer.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07If there's any justice in the world, there's your winner.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09After a busy night, the results are in.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13Gordon is about to get a glimpse of his future.
0:17:13 > 0:17:14- Your design.- Mm-hm.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17- Mike's design with a little bit of briefing from me.- Yeah.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21- We have taken a very scientific approach to this.- Right.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25We have gone to the people and the people have spoken.
0:17:25 > 0:17:30The people say, or 60% of them of the 50 we surveyed say,
0:17:30 > 0:17:32Mike pips you at the post.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35We win. You owe me a pint.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39We've got the name, we've got the brand.
0:17:39 > 0:17:40We've got the labelling, all right?
0:17:40 > 0:17:43- Maybe it can be taken a little bit more.- Yeah.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45- The next stage is production.- Yes.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49When are we actually going to be tasting some beer? Pretty soon, I hope.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52It's time to fill some bottles with beer.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04It's now winter in Fermanagh.
0:18:05 > 0:18:11With Christmas around the corner, Nick is back in Enniskillen, searching the pubs and off-licences.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16He's hoping to find some of Gordon's beer.
0:18:21 > 0:18:2415 days to Christmas and there's not a bottle or keg
0:18:24 > 0:18:28of Inishmacsaint in the town of Enniskillen.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31What a shame! What a missed opportunity.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38It's four months since Nick came to help save the farm,
0:18:38 > 0:18:42but Gordon's new microbrewery has yet to produce any beer.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46Not everything's connected up, when you reckon the first brew will be?
0:18:46 > 0:18:50Firstly, things haven't gone as quickly as I'd hoped.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52- Not in time for Christmas? - They never do.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56We've missed on the Christmas market but I'd rather get things right
0:18:56 > 0:19:00and learn how to use the brewery properly and produce a good beer first before we rush anything out.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02I think that would be counter-productive.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04My first beer took over a year to perfect.
0:19:04 > 0:19:09I need to be 100% happy with my product before I put it in front of anybody.
0:19:10 > 0:19:11Where's the label in all this?
0:19:11 > 0:19:16It really is quite an important decision in terms of selling the beer.
0:19:16 > 0:19:21I wasn't entirely happy with the survey we did in Belfast.
0:19:21 > 0:19:26I took the liberty of putting the two examples of the labels on our Facebook page.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29You old fox, Gordon! What have you done?
0:19:29 > 0:19:32All I did was ask people to vote on which one they preferred.
0:19:32 > 0:19:33I don't like the sound of this.
0:19:33 > 0:19:38We had a sample size of roughly the same as what we had in the pub, verging on 50.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40Unfortunately, 85% of those people
0:19:40 > 0:19:44were in favour of the label that Julian and myself designed.
0:19:44 > 0:19:50The demographic, I guess, is unlikely to be as balanced as in the pub.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54Facebook people, I'm not complaining, I'm not criticising,
0:19:54 > 0:19:57would tend to be the younger people.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01Anyway, that's not really the point. The point is that you've got to go with something that you like,
0:20:01 > 0:20:04- then you can get really behind it.- Yeah.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07I don't think Gordon Fallis does things he doesn't want to do anyway.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09That's probably a fair assessment.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13When you're good and ready, when the labelling's done,
0:20:13 > 0:20:17when the branding's done and you're happy, we're going to launch it.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20Not just here locally but we are going to take it to a bigger audience.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24- Is that a deal?- That's a deal, yes. - Brilliant. Well done. Good.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27My visit here today has produced one disappointment
0:20:27 > 0:20:32and that is, we are clearly going to miss the Christmas trade, a boom time for beer-drinking.
0:20:32 > 0:20:38The second worry is that Gordon said, "Well my first beer took a year
0:20:38 > 0:20:43"to bring up to the standard that I was satisfied with."
0:20:45 > 0:20:48I hope he doesn't take as long with his second beer.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56After a fraught two months of malfunctioning valves and broken chillers,
0:20:56 > 0:21:01there's good news, the brewery has produced a test brew.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05This is the very first bottles off the press.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09So, it'll be interesting to see how it turns out.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12Gordon's dad is here to share in the moment.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14Excellent! Good to see that.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16There was a few moments there, two weeks ago,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19when I didn't think that would be happening any time soon.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21So, it's good to see.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23- Cheers!- Cheers.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25With the brewery finally working, the race is now on
0:21:25 > 0:21:28to get everything in place for a March launch.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31- That's well professional looking, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35It's just such a world away from what we had before.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37Professional labels will help, but Nick knows
0:21:37 > 0:21:41the local Fermanagh market will never be big enough to save Gordon's farm.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46The beer needs a UK-wide launch and Nick has found the perfect location.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52- Hello.- Hello, is that Gordon?- It is, hi, Nick, how is it going?
0:21:52 > 0:21:56Gordon, the good news is that I firmed up a venue
0:21:56 > 0:22:00right in the heart of London's swinging Covent Garden for you.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04The opinion-forming section of the London crowd
0:22:04 > 0:22:07hang around Covent Garden and Soho.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11It's such a great opportunity, Gordon. Such a great opportunity, we can't miss it.
0:22:13 > 0:22:20In a few days, Gordon's beer will be scrutinised by some of the UK's foremost beer critics and buyers.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22This could take a while.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25The next stage is up to him.
0:22:25 > 0:22:30It's not really my thing, schmoozing and talking to people in London.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34I'd far rather be in here making beer than doing that sort of thing
0:22:34 > 0:22:38but, unfortunately, that's one of the things I'm going to have to start getting used to.
0:22:38 > 0:22:43A little bit more selling and trying to market the stuff a bit more.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45Hopefully it'll sell itself.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49I certainly think that label's going to do us a lot of good in terms of selling it.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58It's the day of the launch.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02In a few hours, Fermanagh's first craft beer
0:23:02 > 0:23:07will receive its world premiere at the Porterhouse in Covent Garden.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11Gordon, and his wife, Rowena, have arrived early to help set up.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14They're wonderful, aren't they?
0:23:14 > 0:23:17This is where it's happening, at the minute, in terms of craft beer.
0:23:17 > 0:23:22To have Inishmacsaint amongst all the other brilliant beers around here, would be great.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26I'm just couldn't make up some of these packs for the launch.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30- A beer, bit of info, a postcard and a beer mat.- OK.- You work away there.
0:23:30 > 0:23:37Nick has invited top brewing industry experts, international trade press and buyers.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Gordon to sell and promote his beer.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43Nick wants to make sure he is focused.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54Of course this whole thing kicked off by finding another income stream for the farm, didn't it?
0:23:54 > 0:23:56That's right. Ah-ha.
0:23:56 > 0:24:02And, erm, I think you said you could do one brew a week, which is what, 1,000 bottles?
0:24:02 > 0:24:03Yeah, you're right, yeah.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06How many of those do you think you could sell into Fermanagh?
0:24:06 > 0:24:10I'd like to think I could get rid of at least half of those in Fermanagh.
0:24:10 > 0:24:15OK, 500, and trade price selling in, would you get £1.50 a bottle?
0:24:15 > 0:24:20- I would like to get that and upwards.- 1,500 quid a week coming into the farm.
0:24:20 > 0:24:26But within the structure that you've created, the brewery structure you've got now.
0:24:26 > 0:24:27What's the maximum capacity?
0:24:27 > 0:24:31With the purchase of a couple more tanks, which aren't a big expense,
0:24:31 > 0:24:33we could increase that to 3,000.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35- 3,000 bottles?- Yes.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37What's that? 1,000 is 1,500...
0:24:37 > 0:24:42- 4,500 a week and it's an economy of scale, too.- It is, yeah.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46So don't think about the one brew a week, think about, wow,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49if I can turn these people on, you know,
0:24:49 > 0:24:51you could be working day and night.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53- Can't wait!- You look pale!
0:24:55 > 0:24:58It's time to launch Inishmacsaint to the world.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00In a couple of hours, Gordon will know
0:25:00 > 0:25:05if he has created a product good enough to save the family farm.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10Tonight, we're in the heart of London.
0:25:10 > 0:25:15It's launching Inishmacsaint and here's the man behind it,
0:25:15 > 0:25:18none other than Gordon Fallis.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:25:22 > 0:25:24Hi, folks, I'm going to keep this brief
0:25:24 > 0:25:27because I'm not a great man for public speaking.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30I'd feel more at home in a field in Fermanagh, to be honest with you,
0:25:30 > 0:25:34and we're a long way from the bog lands of West Fermanagh here tonight.
0:25:34 > 0:25:39The idea of our beer, there's nothing complicated about it, it's all about the taste.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42We don't fine it, we don't filter it, we don't pasteurise it,
0:25:42 > 0:25:44it's beer as nature intended it should be.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47It might be a bit hazy but that is the way beer should be drunk.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49I'd just like to thank you all for coming tonight.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52I've had great support from Rowena here and my family,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55Nick has come along and given us some good advice about our branding and encouraged me
0:25:55 > 0:25:59to get it out into the wider public realm.
0:25:59 > 0:26:00I hope you enjoy the beer.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03If you want to chat about it, come and have a word with me,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06mingle, do what we do here in London, you know.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09- Thanks again for coming, cheers.- Well done.
0:26:13 > 0:26:14It's a good pitch.
0:26:14 > 0:26:19Over 100 new breweries opened in the UK in the last 12 months.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23Has Gordon done enough to impress Nick's invited guests?
0:26:23 > 0:26:27There are four, five microbreweries in Northern Ireland now.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30How would you describe it to consumers though?
0:26:30 > 0:26:33- I thought it was an IPA for its taste.- A lot of people say that.
0:26:33 > 0:26:38It's been a great day. I'm really pleased about it. What's pleased me most
0:26:38 > 0:26:41is Gordon's attitude.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44I've never seen him so fired up and enthusiastic.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48The thing is, there's a great buzz here tonight. I'm really hopeful.
0:26:48 > 0:26:53It's beer from Northern Ireland, which I know is pretty rare
0:26:53 > 0:26:55because I've researched it.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59It's really good to see a craft brewery from there
0:26:59 > 0:27:00and it's good beer.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03Is not a crazily flavoursome beer.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07It's very drinkable, very quaffable.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10I think the guys nailed it, it's got a nice, dry, hoppy finish.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12It's pleasurable.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15There's a debate with small breweries as to whether you want to be sessionable
0:27:15 > 0:27:19or you want to be or you want to be distinctive. Distinctive stands out for the first pint
0:27:19 > 0:27:21but you might not order the second one.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25This one's just about on the cusp. You can imagine having a second glass of this.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27He's nailed it, it's a great beer.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30The critics are happy but what about the buyers?
0:27:30 > 0:27:35Nick knows the Porterhouse would be a key London outlet. Will they place an order?
0:27:35 > 0:27:37It's obviously led by the consumer.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40There's 24 bottles in the case, the 24 hours in a day.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44Say, ten cases a month, something like that.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48That's a nice, gentle start for a fine beer.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52So it's been a hell of a day, what's it like being a salesman?
0:27:52 > 0:27:55It has. It's not something that comes naturally to me
0:27:55 > 0:28:00but it certainly makes it easy when people are here that are passionate and enthusiastic about beer.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02Exactly, that's the key thing with you.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04You are passionate about beer, the taste of the beer.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08You're also passionate about the brand, how it's made, what it stands for.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11As long as you can keep those things to the forefront of your mind,
0:28:11 > 0:28:15you got the beginnings, really, of quite a nice business here.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17- They love the beer. - That's great, yeah.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19They like what it stands for, brilliant.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21Thanks very much for your help, cheers.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd