Schwelm update

The fight to save the Schwelm Brewery is taking a further step today with a second demonstration in the city centre following the first last week.

Campaigners are upset by the lack of support from local politics and the decision by the insolvency administrators to cease production immediately and wind up the brewing business as soon as possible. The administrators say, as they always do, that they are forced to act conservatively in the interests of creditors and owners.

But all sorts of rumours are circulating about the alleged nefarious machinations of the administrators and brewery owners and some suspect there are already plans to redevelop the brewery site.

Certainly the announcement by the administrator that retail outlets will not be able to redeem the deposits on empty bottles and crates after a specific date is a great incentive for these outlets to delist the Schwelmer products immediately, making the restarting of production more difficult.

Campaigners have responded by using their Facebook group, which now has almost 8000 members, to organise flash mobs at beer depots to purchase crates of Schwelmer and show that there is still a demand for the beer.

Cynics say that hundreds of small German breweries have already closed without such a fuss being made, which is true. More’s the pity.

There are also negotiations with potential investors, and the foundation of a cooperative in which supporters can buy shares. No one knows what will happen in the end, but it appears more likely than it once did, that some sort of brewing operation may be salvaged from the wreckage.

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