Consistency, quality and reliability are all characteristics that brewers strive for in the beers they produce.

They are also attributes that consumers seek out when navigating the tap lines and bustling fridges across UK bottle-shops.

A sense of familiarity, and trust, is something that more and more drinkers desire when spending their hard-earned money on the beers they love.

And for Pietro Maltinti, head brewer at Deya Brewing Company in Cheltenham, those qualities are what he calls the “secret sauce” that make the brewery’s range of beers such as Steady Rolling Man, Boost and Magazine Cover so popular. Beers that been dialled in, evolved and improved over time.

In this episode he tells us that Deya’s ethos is about treating the ingredients and brewing process with due care and attention and how to be part of a team where the head brewer should never try to a “hero” who does everything themselves.

Instead, Pietro says the secret to a successful brewery is the team behind it. And you nurture that by focusing on coaching your staff, fostering internal talent, and ultimately trying to build systems that make a head brewer like him no longer needed on the brewery floor.

Richard Bradbury is the managing director at Theakston. An independent, family brewing company founded in 1827, the business is located in the Yorkshire Dales market town of Masham, North Yorkshire, controlled by 5th generation direct family descendants of the founder, Robert Theakston.

As one of Britain’s oldest established family brewing companies Theakston is famed throughout the country and overseas for its wide range of premium ales brewed in their historic Victorian tower brewery. The business is chaired by Simon Theakston, with his son William joining the company in 2024.

And since 2023, Richard Bradbury has led the business operations in that role of managing director. As guardian of an institution known for such storied beers as Old Peculier, he is more than aware of the rich history Theakston boasts. A story that encompasses everything from world wars to economic highs and lows, and even takeovers and buy-backs throughout nearly two centuries of brewing.

But as the business approaches such an important landmark in 2027, the focus at Theakston isn’t one of reflection but of relevance. And the company continues to ably demonstrate how to respect its heritage but operate highly effectively across the modern hospitality landscape.

2026 is proving to be another year of change and evolution for the brewing industry. Both in the UK and overseas.

And with that, running a successful brewery is a challenge – and opportunity – that many of us are facing.

With that in mind, we are revisiting a talk from our 2025 Brewers Congress, which focused on making strategic production choices and outlined why prioritising markets is key.

Speaking in London was Marian Reed, the General Manager and Head of Business Development at Sudden Death Brewing in Lübeck, Germany.

Throughout her career, she has been able to connect vision to actions, identify root causes and best outcomes, while managing team members in a way that best suits their own personal development arcs.

And last year she flew into London to take part in our 2025 Brewers Congress. In her talk, Marian spoke on how to make strategic production choices via data management and how to prioritize markets and know where you best ‘fit’.

She argued why people are essential to a great brewery and why owners and leadership have an obligation to keep the team as their number one priority. She also outlined that strategies vary, there is no one size fits all, so mix and match which approaches work best for your crew.