Harris Homecraft Ltd is a small regional business that was set up in 1971 under the name Harris Filters, originally to manufacture filtration equipment for the home winemaking industry.
When the business was launched in 1971, the market was a cottage industry but grew strongly through the 1970’s and Harris Filters enjoyed significant success. At the time the market was dominated by small chemist shops who allocated space to limited homebrew supplies. Most of the products sold were chemicals and base materials to make wine from hedgerows and beer from grains and hops. There were limited distributors at that time and one of the leading wholesalers was Rogers Mead Ltd. This was a business that was established by a qualified chemist named Eric Rogers. He was an eccentric character who set up a unit in Broseley to produce commercial Mead, made from imported Light Australian Amber Honey. The drink was quite successful and on the back of this success, Eric established a home winemaking wholesale business. Harris Filters originally marketed its filters through Rogers Mead as a sole distributor. The business continued to supply this cottage industry as interest continued to grow in the hobby. Some of the key multiples such as Boots PLC saw an opportunity to service this growing market, and they actively engaged in developing products through the 1980’s. In the early 1980’s Harris Filters was asked to develop a filter for Boots (the leading UK chain of chemists). In order to gain marketing knowledge Mr Harris opened a retail shop and stocked most of the equipment and kits needed to supply home winemakers and brewers needs. The shop was located in Lower Gornal, which had a reputation for being the home of home brewing. The shop quickly became established and went on to become a landmark in the village, attracting customers from a wide geographical area.
The Home beer and winemaking industry experienced turbulent trading conditions and peaked in growth during the 1980’s. A number of people saw an opportunity to develop beer and wine kits in the 1980’s (some of which were of dubious quality). The range of supplies continued to expand, and kits became the dominant method of producing beers and wines at home. Although some brewers continued to make wine from base ingredients and country fruits, they were in the minority.
The 1990’s saw a shrinkage in the market due to cheap commercial wine and beers (often from EU) which made home brewing less appealing. Also, the quality of some home-made wines and beers up until the new millennium was questionable. Many organisations went out of business during the 1990’s but Harris Filters weathered the storm. This was partly due to it being rather unique in its structure as a retailer and manufacturer. It has grown over the years to build a solid reputation for customer service, integrity, and quality products.
Recently there has been renewed interest in home wine and beer making (along with other craft orientated products) and there have been many innovations in the industry. Aligned to this has been an explosion in interest in commercial craft ales. Indeed there are more micro-breweries in existence now than there ever has been in the UK. In fact the entire alcoholic drinks market has been subject to significant change over recent years. The imposition of increasing excise duty on commercial alcoholic drinks continues to rise and this has a major impact on consumer purchasing. In addition stringent drink drive laws and a ban on public smoking has also had an impact on consumption patterns, with more consumers choosing to drink at home rather in pubs/clubs.
In addition to a huge growth in small micro-breweries in the UK, there has been a growing trend towards the consumption of real ales at the expense of keg beers. The interest in craft beer has created considerable demand for quality hops and malts and more people are making beer from all grain and partial mash kits, which emulate commercially brewed ales. The range of equipment available to brewers has developed considerably and there are some really innovative products on the market now, to support the hobby.
There has always been a niche market for home winemaking and beer brewing, and the numbers of people that make their own wines and beers has tended to have an inverse relationship with the economy. During the last recession more people either took up or returned to the hobby. The quality of home beer and wine kits has improved dramatically over the last decade and many commercial breweries now produce their own make at home kits.
Harris Homecraft completed a process of re-structuring and re-branding following the death of its founder in 2013. It has developed its product portfolio and now has many lines listed on its B2B manufacturer product list.
Recent new products developed by Harris Homecraft are the Mead Making Kit, Mead Fermentation Packs and Mead Infusions. These were the passion of Robert Harris who also wrote a book called The Art Of Mead Making – A Comprehensive Guide. He spent over a year developing these products and completing his book, and are proving to be well received by consumers. Sadly Mr Harris passed away in July 2024.
Harris Homecraft is now in the hands of a third generation Harris – James Harris, who is continually developing new ideas and products that will benefit all brewers.