A YORK based real ale producer which has grown its brand throughout Yorkshire is now looking to serve a new market overseas.

Ainsty Ales started life in 2014 operating from spare capacity within existing breweries across North Yorkshire.

Now the business, run by Andy Herrington with a team of three others, operates from its own brewery in Acaster Malbis, producing 35 casks every week.

Vying for a titles in the New Business of the Year and Small Business of the Year categories, the business now boasts a growing portfolio of corporate customers, permanently supplying such as the Marriott Hotel in both York and Leeds, Monk Bar Hotel, York Racecourse and a dozen or so Costcutter stores in the York area.

The partnership with York Racecourse has grown to such an extent that Ainsty Ales, which originally supplied three bars with two beers, now sends the venue three different bottles ales for sale in 28 of its bars. In addition to York Racecourse, five of its sister racecourses in Yorkshire now also stock Ainsty’s bottles.

Alongside picking up new followers every week on social-media Ainsty Ales has formed good business relationships with the likes of Make it York, Welcome to Yorkshire and the local Chamber of Commerce, and the business is now moving closer to exporting under the guidance of the local Chamber of Commerce, and is hoping to have agreed sales in Eastern Europe by the end of the year.

New sales are all being served from Ainsty’s new brewery. At the beginning of 2016 plans commenced to start building its own 10 barrel brewery on a working-farm in the heart of the old Ainsty Wapentake. The brewery is now capable of brewing three 10 barrel brews a week, producing 6200 casks each year if needed.

Mr Herrington said: “The brewery has been built so it can very easily expand. It currently has three fermenting and conditioning tanks with room to easily add another three of each.

“We have a small team of four now with the option for each staff to join a share saving scheme in the future if they so desire.”

Last year saw the business grown from one member of staff to three when Mr Herrington was joined by a head brewer and apprentice, followed later by a sales manager, bringing the total team number to four.