Next month, Crate Brewery will be launching a crowdfunding campaign to raise a sum of £500k to fund a major refurbishment of its Hackney Wick home, The White Building.
Founders Tom and Jess Seaton and Neil Hinchley plan to use the money to carry out major changes to The White Building, which include partnering with award-winning chef Douglas McMaster to bring his celebrated zero-waste Brighton restaurant, Silo, to London.
The refurbishment will also include a new experimental brewery, an affordable work space, an extended ground floor bar and a new event space.
Crate was launched in 2012 by siblings Tom and Jess Seaton and friend Neil Hinchley. Based in The White Building, an ex-print factory in the heart of Hackney Wick, Crate began its life as a small microbrewery, bar and pizza restaurant; seven years on and The White Building is now a core part of East London’s social scene.
One of the key outcomes of the crowdfunding campaign will see major changes on the ground floor of The White Building: there will be the installation of a state of the art pilot brewery, bringing more focus to small batches and unique beers available in the taproom. Outside, an amphitheatre-style seating area will be created, overlooking the canal which has become such a focal point of the East London site.
Upstairs, the team will develop a new restaurant space with the world’s first zero waste restaurant, Silo. Recently shortlisted for the World Restaurant Awards 2019, the Executive Chef and Founder of Silo will be bringing his creative and sustainability-focused menu to The White Building, with a new restaurant which will be serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.
As well as Silo, Douglas McMaster and the Crate team will work together to ensure that sustainability thrives throughout all areas of The White Building, including hosted workshops by McMaster in the new work space next door to the restaurant. This space will also be used for activities and talks on a variety of topics in-keeping with Crate's passions: food, beer, art and culture, to name a few.
Tom Seaton said, “We are so excited for this brand-new chapter in the Crate story. The refurbishment of The White Building is going to allow us to really enhance our business and our creativity, with sustainability at the forefront. Douglas and Silo joining us is such an integral part of this for us, we can’t wait to see what the year brings!”