Hofmeister Brewing Co. has a new UK distributor in the wake of Keystone Brewing Group issuing a notice to appoint administrators.
Keystone, which had been handling Hofmeister’s sales and distribution in the UK, filed the notice in November. The Black Sheep and Magic Rock brands owner described the move as “a protective measure that allows us to keep trading as normal while we secure new investment or explore a potential sale”.
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Hofmeister had been among the brands Keystone distributed in its home market. The two companies announced their tie-up last March but Hofmeister said on Friday (9 January) it is now working with Kingfisher Drinks.
“We refused to let our momentum be stalled by the challenges of a third-party distributor. We are back in the driving seat as a fully independent business and we have selected Kingfisher Drinks to provide the scale and operational excellence needed to ensure every pint arrives fresh and on time,” Hofmeister CEO Spencer Chambers, who alongside Richard Longhurst owns a majority of the business, said.
Originally brewed in the UK during the 1970s, Hofmeister was relaunched in 2016 after Chambers and Longhurst acquired the brand from Heineken.
Chambers told Just Drinks the business had “firmly moved out of the ‘start-up’ phase into the ‘scale-up’ phase” and had seen volumes rise 30% year on year in the fourth quarter of 2025.
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By GlobalDataHofmeister does not disclose volume figures but Chambers said the company had “closed the year with sales into wholesalers and direct customers exceeding £3m ($4m)”.
He added: “For 2026, we are forecasting continued double-digit growth, targeting 30%-plus year-on-year. The move to Kingfisher Drinks is a critical part of our profitability roadmap. It streamlines our logistics and improves our cost-to-serve, which will naturally drive bottom-line efficiency.
“We are profitable at a gross margin level on every keg sold. At a net level, we made the strategic decision in 2025 to reinvest heavily in brand building and infrastructure to prepare for this 2026 expansion. We are fully funded and operating exactly where our growth plan dictates.”
Longhurst described the UK as “ninety-five per cent of our focus” and said Hofmeister sees “massive headroom” in the market.
He added: “The ‘world lager’ category is dominated by brewed-under-license giants, leaving a vacuum for a genuine imported German helles.
“We do have a small but growing export footprint but, for 2026, the mission is to win the UK on-trade.”
