Anthony & Helena Adedipe
Co-Founders of Eko Brewery
Interview by: Selena Schleh
Once the preserve of purist hopheads and home brewers, the global craft beer industry has exploded in popularity in recent years. From sriracha-infused stouts to coffee-brewed porters, brewers need a strong USP to stand out on increasingly crowded shelves – and with its range of beers inspired by traditional African brewing techniques and recipes, Eko Brewery is certainly on a mission to offer punters something unique.
Co-founders and husband-and-wife team Anthony and Helena Adedipe were inspired to start their brewing journey after visiting Sapporo, Japan and exploring the US micro-brewery scene. Wanting to introduce people to a new taste experience, while drawing on Anthony’s Nigerian roots (Eko was the original name for Lagos), they started investigating Africa’s rich brewing heritage. “People still brew in villages, or for traditional functions: the difference is that people consume the beer fresh,” explains Helena.
Their initial batch of homebrew, served up to friends and family at barbecues, was so well received that the pair decided to learn how to make beer properly, and soon began brewing commercially at Bermondsey’s now-defunct uBrew, launching with Eko Black, a smooth, smoky porter. Although traditional African brews don’t contain hops (which gives beer its distinctive bitter flavour and makes it longer-lasting) it was important, says Helena, that Eko beer tasted “modern,” so they added smaller quantities of hops for a slightly sweeter but still recognisable taste.
With each subsequent beer, Eko Brewery has continued to experiment with classic African ingredients, adding coconut palm sugar to the palm wine-inspired Eko Gold, their “lager with a twist,” cassava, an African root vegetable, to a limited-edition West Coast IPA; and South African hops to a new range of African pale ales. “We have a lot of ideas about what new ingredients to include, that reflect our culture – but the big question is can we get it, or get enough of it, consistently?” says Helena.
Craft beer is experimental by nature, but the pair are careful to balance risk-taking with the reality of contract brewing. Eko Brewery currently produces 25 hectolitre (around 5,000 cans) from two sites in Sheffield and Manchester, which requires a somewhat scientific approach: “If you brew the beer on two different sets of equipment on different sites, you’re going to get two different tastes. Even the water makes a difference. So we’re constantly working out how to tweak the recipe with the head brewers,” explains Anthony.
Alongside these challenges comes the juggling of day jobs – Helena is a financial crime consultant, Anthony an engineer – and family life with two young children. “It’s definitely a labour of love,” laughs Anthony. “But hopefully by doing this we can inspire people from minority backgrounds to start businesses and do something they’re passionate about.”
Looking to the future, Helena concludes: “We’re definitely going to keep doing this. We want to keep growing and have our own site eventually.” We can’t wait to see what they brew up next.
