Billson’s Brewery has announced that the business has been placed into voluntary administration in a statement shared on social media yesterday.
Billson’s Brewery was established in 1865 in Beechworth, Victoria, and is currently run by Nathan Cowan and his wife Felicity Cottrill. The beverage brand is widely known as an RTD manufacturer, but also produces spirits, beer and cordial.
The husband-and-wife duo announced the decision in a statement on Facebook, explaining that the business has made some mistakes while scaling, and despite restructuring on two previous occasions, does not have the systems or processes in place to keep pace.
The venue and online store will continue to operate as usual while the best course of action is determined for the business, and supply to on- and off-premise partners will not be disrupted.
The full statement from Cowan and Cottrill reads: “Today we made the excruciatingly difficult decision to put Billson’s into Voluntary Administration.
“In 2017 Felicity and I moved to Beechworth with dreams of restoring the historic brewery and creating a special experience for everyone who visited.
“Together with the team, we’ve poured our hearts and souls into Billson’s and we are proud of everything that has been accomplished.
“Over the course of seven years, everyone’s hard work and passion has resulted in overwhelming support by people all over Australia and some pretty incredible business growth. Unfortunately, that growth masked several mistakes we made along the way as our systems and processes failed to keep up. We’re ultimately responsible for these mistakes and we know that we have let people down. We are devastated and sorry.
“We are shattered by the stress this decision will undoubtedly cause our team, suppliers, customers and fans. We’ve tried everything imaginable over the past six months to avoid this situation, including restructuring on two occasions, however we now believe this to be the necessary step for survival.
“The brewery has stood proud for over 150 years and has undoubtedly faced many other perilous times. The challenges we’ve encountered in 2024 have been vast and incomprehensible in scale. We will do everything possible to work through this so Billson’s can emerge more resilient as a business and ready to take on another century.
“We know how difficult the current environment is out there for everyone. With so many family businesses teetering on the edge, any support you are able to provide your local businesses, in any way at all, will mean more now than ever.
“We intend for our venue to remain open seven days per week and our online store to operate as normal. We’ll continue to supply our fans through all of our amazing customers in bottle shops and venues across the country.
“Thank you so much for your support over the years, it truly means the world to us. Despite our many shortcomings, we will never give up. With all of its remarkable local history, we believe that Billson’s will get through this, so people can enjoy it, well into the future.”