Vale Brewing sells to Bickford’s Group

Piper Alderman was pleased to advise Vale Brewing on the sale of their brewing business to iconic South Australian brand Bickford’s. The sale included the Vale beer brand and the Fox Hat Brewing and Dr Pilkington’s cider brands, along with a 3,500-litre brewing facility in Willunga.  The sale represents the culmination of a 9 year relationship between the Vale Group and Piper Alderman.

Vale Brewing was represented by James Dickson, a Partner in Piper Alderman’s Corporate team, who was assisted by Associate Kieren Shattock.

Vale Brewing was founded in 2008 and based in Willunga, South Australia. The company gained popularity for its Vale Ale beer product and later expanded the range to include a Lager, IPA, limited edition brews and cider. The company has been privately owned by the Collin brothers since 2015.

Vale Brewing Managing Director Tim Collin said he was “thrilled with the outcome of our deal with Bickford’s, along with the fact that these iconic brands will stay in South Australian hands”.

Piper Alderman worked closely with Vale Brewing on all aspects of the transaction, including in structuring the business for sale, due diligence, confidentiality arrangements, negotiations with buyers and completion of the transaction.

Vale Brewing also received assistance from Piper Alderman’s other specialty areas, with our property team advising on land options and the assignment of leasing arrangements, our employment relations team working closely with Vale Group in relation to the existing employment arrangements, our intellectual property team managing the transfer of IP assets and our licensing & gaming managing the various liquor licensing issues.  These Piper Alderman teams were coordinated by James and Kieren as part of their overall project management role in the transaction.