A BIRTHDAY party for Reading’s Grumpy Goat was held in Union Street on Saturday, December, 11.
The cheese and ale shop, owned by wife-and-wife team Anne-Marie and Charlie Beatty, turned eight years old.
The occasion was celebrated with a street party featuring a DJ and guests received festive treats courtesy of the store.
For owner Anne-Marie, the party was a way to thank their loyal customer base.
“We have a wide spectrum of customers, including some who have found us since we moved to Union Street in November last year,” she says.
“We wanted to thank them for their support in the best way possible given covid, so holding a party in the alley seemed like a good solution.”
The Beatty’s made the decision to move Grumpy Goat from its former home in the Harris Arcade, the shop’s home since 2013, so that they could grow the business.
The couple had already gained local and international recognition before the move. They regularly collaborate with breweries such as Tilehurst’s Double-Barrelled and Finchampstead’s Siren Craft. They founded Craft Theory, an annual beer festival held at South Street Arts Centre which showcases the talents of local, national and international breweries. The couple are also World Cheese Award judges.
“We did wonder whether opening a beer and cheese shop on Smelly Alley was the right look,” Anne-Marie jokes.
The space in their new premises meant that they could increase the lines of cheese and craft ales they sell, and run in-store tasting events. Anonymous Coffee are now based in the shop, having been forced to find new premises when their former home closed.
The pandemic has meant that progress on some of their other plans, such as opening a small bar above the shop, has been slow.
But the couple are both driven to get things done, Anne-Marie says. And lockdowns gave the time and opportunity to develop online tasting events and their website. They also joined a WhatsApp group for independent businesses in Reading to support each other through the period.
“It’s still going,” Anne-Marie says.
“There’s a real community of indie business in Reading now and the future is really exciting.”
In the immediate future, Grumpy Goat plan to hold Dry January tasting events and are exploring the possibility of running fundraising events with a local charity partner. They are also hopeful that Craft Theory will be able to take place again in July.
For more information, visit: thegrumpygoat.co.uk
