In a positive sign for Australia’s cultural capital of Melbourne, a popular craft brewery will remain in business after scraping through a brutal few years of Covid lockdowns.
Bad Shepherd Brewing Co, founded in Cheltenham by Dereck and Diti Hales in 2015, last week successfully emerged from voluntary administration after creditors approved a financial restructuring of the business.
The brewery and attached pub, which serves up Australian-American BBQ fare, had appointed DBA Advisory as administrator last month after battling through the world’s longest lockdown – a total of 262 days – under former Premier Dan Andrews.
The Hales worked with Administrator Atle Crowe-Maxwell to develop a Deed of Company Arrangement proposal to financially restructure the business and ‘ensure a stronger and more resilient operation moving forward’.
Mr Hales said under administration the business had been progressing as usual with working their way back into profit always the goal.
‘Beer production, sales, distribution and…