While fields have remained empty and many indoor venues have been gathering dust for the past year , bar suppliers and those in the concessions sector have had to think on their feet and find new ways to generate revenue .
Among the many businesses that have been heavily impacted by the blow of lockdown is Wine Tap Van . Launched in late 2019 by Louisa Payne , the project was inspired by her frustration with a “ serious lack of nice wine at outdoor events ”.
Payne converted a Peugeot van and began selling wine from it . At the start of 2020 she was feeling optimistic about the year ahead and had stocked up on a lot of product ready for the events season , so when Covid struck it knocked her business for six .
“ It was really hard ,” she says . “ I ’ ve not been able to get any funding from the Government because I wasn ’ t trading the previous year .”
Payne did manage to get the van out for seven one-day events
|
last year , including working at Delapré Abbey in her hometown of Northampton , along with a car show , street food convention and Christmas fair . “ These events didn ’ t have the same volumes of people I am used to dealing with , but everyone was so happy just to be able to go out and be at an event buying wine outdoors .”
Her business came agonisingly close to working with a larger project in London , Southbank for Christmas , but 12 hours before the event was due to start it was cancelled .
She says , “ The van was being towed down to London and I ’ d ordered all the stock that morning . I ’ m trying to be as flexible as possible but it ’ s kind of hard when you ’ re told so late in the day that a month of trading is being cancelled .”
Beetle Juice cocktail bar , cofounded by Jonathan Gomma , Julian Gomma and Harry Sloan in Farnham , Surrey , adapted to lockdown by providing online cocktail masterclasses and delivering cocktail gift boxes .
Although Jonathan remains cautious about the year ahead ,
|
and will continue with the delivery service , he says his team has already seen a surge in enquiries for its services from events since the recent roadmap announcement .
He says , “ We have multiple units and have trained staff on standby for any up-andcoming events .”
SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS
Somerset-based Event Wine Solutions has received no events income since 2019 . Founder and director Paul Scaife says although the
|
company has been able to take advantage of Government support , if restrictions carry on for another year it will “ be forced to rethink entirely ”.
Scaife has used lockdown to focus on developing products with more sustainable or recyclable packaging , including a range of wine in aluminium cans .
“ This has taken us a long time to get right but we ’ re really pleased to have achieved this ambition during an uncertain 12 months . We have conducted an in-depth carbon comparison study of our products as part of the journey ,” he says .
|