Brewdog was founded in Fraserburgh in 2007 by local beer enthusiasts James Watt and Martin Dickie.
The “punk” brewers set out to disrupt the world beer market with a non-stop series of irreverent stunts and shock-tactic promotions that hugely boosted their profile, bringing a cult following among beer fans worldwide.
In recent years the publicity soured, with allegations about the conduct of Watt and revelations about business performance tarnishing the glittering image of earlier years.
Timeline
2007: BrewDog launches and soon starts mopping up big awards for beer and for business innovation, quickly a landmark deal to supply Tesco.
2009: BrewDog is accused of being ‘grossly irresponsible’ for calling one of its products Speedball – the name given to the combination of heroin and crack cocaine. The controversy brought global publicity.
2010: BrewDog opens the doors to its first BrewDog pub in Aberdeen.
2011: The company employs a person with dwarfism to stand outside parliament for a week holding a sign in what it called “the world’s smallest protest” – in relation to regulations over beer volume regulations.
2013: Advertising Standards Authority cautions the company for causing “serious offence” over foul language.
2021: BrewDog is forced to apologise to a number of ex-employees who accuse the company and its co-founder James Watt of fostering a “culture of fear” in which workers were bullied and “treated like objects.”
An open letter saw 61 former employees allege that the brand frequently cut corners on health and safety and created a “toxic” culture that left staff suffering from mental illness.
2022: A raft of allegations are made in BBC documentary Disclosure: The Truth About Brewdog – many of which the company denies.
2024: A staff backlash erupts after BrewDog announces it is dropping out of the accredited real living wage scheme. The firm claims the move was a “necessary“ step to help it return to profitability after making a £24m operating loss last year.
2024: James Watt steps down as CEO after 17 years at the helm of the company he co-founded. Watt handed over the reins to chief operating officer James Arrow but is retained as “captain and co-founder” – retaining 21 per cent of the firm’s shareholding.
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