AN independent brewery in Glasgow has become the first in the UK to be employee owned.

WEST brewery founder, Bavarian-born Petra Wetzel, has established a Share Incentive Plan (SIP) and placed an initial 10% of the company’s shares into a dedicated trust for workers.

From last month, employees who have worked with the business for 12 consecutive months, no matter how many hours worked, will get £3,600 worth of shares – the maximum sum that can be given tax-free to employees – every year.

Currently, there are some 65 workers who are eligible for shares.

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Commenting on the thought process behind the initiative, Ms Wetzel said: “WEST is now worth many millions and I’ve always considered this business to be a team effort rather than me acting as some kind of benevolent dictator.

“I didn’t set out to get rich running a brewery. I’m 44-years-old and, rather than selling up to retire and sit on a beach for the rest of my days, I want to share what we’ve achieved over the last 13 years with the people who have helped make it possible.

“So everybody who has worked at WEST for longer than a year will receive shares in the business, which will be held in trust and vest after five years.”

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This is about leaving a legacy for the city of Glasgow because, if I’d sold the business to a larger entity, I’d have no control over what would happen to WEST going forward, so this is all about ensuring that everybody who works at WEST benefits financially.

“It’s not about making me rich; it’s about sharing the benefits with everybody who works hard at WEST on a regular, annual basis.”

The Glaswegian brewery with the German head, WEST is one of the leading independent breweries in the UK.

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It has launched over 30 draught beers in the last 13 years, all brewed in accordance with the Reinheitsgebot, the German Purity Law, the oldest food law in existence, using only four key ingredients: water, malted barley, hops and yeast.

WEST beers are available at WEST On The Green, the stylish beer hall and restaurant on Glasgow Green, as well as numerous other bars and restaurants and major supermarkets across Scotland, the UK and selected export markets.