{"id":178679,"date":"2025-10-04T08:51:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-04T08:51:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/178679\/"},"modified":"2025-10-04T08:51:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-04T08:51:14","slug":"brewdog-sells-rewilding-forest-where-250000-trees-died-as-embattled-punk-brewery-stages-fightback-amid-37m-loss-and-string-of-controversies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/178679\/","title":{"rendered":"BrewDog sells ‘rewilding’ forest where 250,000 trees died as embattled ‘punk’ brewery stages fightback amid \u00a337m loss and string of controversies"},"content":{"rendered":"

By ADAM POGRUND, TRAINEE REPORTER<\/a> <\/a> <\/p>\n

Published: 16:39 EDT, 3 October 2025 | Updated: 18:04 EDT, 3 October 2025 <\/p>\n

BrewDog has sold the ‘rewilding’ forest it bought for \u00a38.8million only five years ago amid increasing financial pressure.<\/p>\n

The ‘punk’ brewery purchased Kinrara Estate, claiming it would be funded by sales of its Lost Forest beer, as it looked to reinvent itself as a ‘carbon negative’ beer producer.<\/p>\n

It said it would\u00a0turn the site into Scotland’s ‘biggest ever forest’ with millions of trees.<\/p>\n

But half of the 500,000 trees planted died and it has now been sold to\u00a0rewilding outfit, Oxygen Conservation.<\/p>\n

‘The time is right to hand over the reins to an organisation that specialises in protecting and investing in natural capital,’ Brewdog said as it announced the sale.<\/p>\n

BrewDog, which posted losses of \u00a337m and closed 10 pubs last year, was embroiled in a string of controversies after acquiring the forest.<\/p>\n

It was forced to admit it had falsely claimed the site was 12,000 acres rather than 9,142.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The beer brand also suggested the forest could absorb 550,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, when it could\u00a0only absorb a maximum of 1m tonnes in 100 years.<\/p>\n

\"BrewDog <\/p>\n

BrewDog has sold its ‘rewilding’ forest just five years after the embattled chain bought it for \u00a38.8million<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The ‘punk’ brewery purchased Kinrara Estate, claiming it would be funded by sales of its Lost Forest beer as it looked to reinvent itself as a ‘carbon negative’ beer producer\u00a0<\/p>\n

The venture was part of a push by co-founder James Watt to brand the business as carbon neutral.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the business abandoned its claim to be\u00a0a ‘carbon negative’ brewery months after it emerged that half of the trees in the eco-friendly forest had died.<\/p>\n

At least \u00a3690,000 of taxpayer cash had been put towards the company’s environmental efforts.<\/p>\n

The firm, now run James Taylor after James Watt stood down in 2024, has previously promoted its lagers, ales and stouts as ‘planet positive beer’.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But bosses last year said offsetting its carbon with external schemes was too expensive and the company could no longer claim to be producing less carbon than it is offsetting.<\/p>\n

Rich Stockdale, chief executive of Oxygen Conservation, denied that Brewdog’s work\u00a0 at Kinrara was a complete failure.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘We were blown away by the job that had been done. [It was] far better than we expected. No woodland creation or environmental restoration project is without its challenges,’ he said.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

It is the latest asset to be sold by Brewdog as it stages a fightback after a decline in sales.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The brewery recorded losses of \u00a359m in 2023 and \u00a330.5m in 2022. Last year was the fifth consecutive year the company made a loss.<\/p>\n

\"But <\/p>\n

But half of the 500,000 trees died and it has now been sold to rewilding outfit, Oxygen Conservation\u00a0<\/p>\n

And in August its beer were axed by almost 2,000 pubs across Britain as its popularity continues to wane.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The company’s range of draught beers have disappeared entirely from around 1,860 pubs in the last two years, according to private industry data.<\/p>\n

The blow means BrewDog’s UK distribution has been cut by more than a third.<\/p>\n

The collapse came as CEO James Taylor recently told investors that its financials did not make for ‘happy reading’.<\/p>\n

Mr Taylor is the second new CEO to take over since founder and face of the company James Watt stepped back in May 2024 amidst a flurry of accusations of improper conduct.<\/p>\n

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\n BrewDog sells ‘rewilding’ forest where 250,000 trees died as embattled ‘punk’ brewery stages fightback amid \u00a337m loss and string of controversies<\/p>\n