From Rugby Field to the Boardroom

Former Saracen’s Rugby Union player Allister Hargreaves, 38, has launched craft beer company Wolfpack with former Hargreaves teammate Chris Wiles, whose rugby career has been shortened by multiple concussions.

Today, the company has bars in Queens Park, West Hampstead and Fulham Broadway. The beer has been drafted at over 300 pubs, premium bars and sports clubs across the country. We have 50 employees, including bar staff. Its revenues are £4 million, compared to £50,000 in the first year of the transaction.

Did you start your business by chance or design?
Because by design we were nearing the end of our rugby career. One night we were socializing in the pub, but the next career move was right in front of us: Craft beer!

When we lived on the same street, we rented an office nearby for our research. We spoke with many people in the industry and toured many breweries. It was fine as I realized there was a life after rugby.

Neither of us had any clue about our business. It was simple. I was unable to give a presentation to the bank. They would have been laughing at us.

But our plans paid off. After driving across the country, I found a 12,000-pound abandoned bus at Leeds Sclapid, which had been touched for five years. They then hired a driver to bring the vehicle back to London.

The stage design company was able to remove the inside of the bus and knock out the windows to create a bar. I installed 15 beer taps. On the first night there was a game with Saracens and we parked a bus at the corner of the stadium pitch. The take was £15,000. We were EC.

We started brewing ourselves with our homebrewed beer kits in Belgium. Making a bad beer is very easy. The secret is how to make it better. Chris and I may not be world class brewers, but the experiments helped us understand the process. We designed our own recipes and put it out to bid on third parties who brew our brand under license.

Our first bar was a mechanic’s devastated garage in Queens Park. The site had a personality and imagined it being turned into a rustic taproom. It’s great now, but I spent months negotiating with the council to get my alcohol license. We opened six months later and had to put in a beer cellar and toilet.

Was professional rugby a good preparation for business?
Without the rugby background, it’s not where we are today. There are many similarities between professional sports and business, including discipline, communication, teamwork, and resilience. These skills need to be distant from the sports field so that they are relevant in the real world.

Do you have a pension?
I’m confused and have no pension. There is no good reason for that. Chris and I got six figures salary, but I think I opted out of Saracen’s pension.

I own my own home and spare cash has broken into my business, which is dangerous, but I bet on myself. There isn’t much left on the mortgage.

Is your credit balance very high?
not much. It can grow from time to time. It accumulates, but then I reward it with chunks. I wish I was one of these people who just pay off everything once a month. I’m a bit procrastinating, but I’m not a luxury.

What did you have to sacrifice to start a business?
The seed investment was £100,000 and we cut off our savings together. We currently have debt facilities and raise more than £2 million in capital in 2019 and 2024. The company is currently owned by shareholders, including myself, Chris, and others are primarily made up of friends and family.

How did you deal with it during the pandemic?
With zero turnovers, we had to hit our staff and negotiate with the landlord who was very generous. If you drink a beer, you are allowed to dispose of it through a formal process and regain your obligation. (Beer can have a shelf life of up to 6 months.)

We decided not to do that, but we gave something back to the community. I loaded the Wolfpack Land Rover Defender and installed six beer taps on the side of the vehicle. We drove it in London every day and gave free pints to those who tagged us on social media. It kept us busy, helped our community get involved in what we’re doing, and made many people very happy.

How has inflation affected your business?
It had a dramatic effect, but it was the size we were able to overcome. The major challenge is the increased costs of energy, labor and raw materials due to the supply chain. There are fewer consumers in pubs, but so far our pubs have done well. Being extremely conservative in our expansion helped us.

What are your views on recent budgets?
This is a disaster for Hospitality, the UK’s third largest private sector employer. Punishing the sector by raising national insurance is under pressure even in good businesses. We are creating jobs.

The budgetary measure will likely cost Wolfpack an extra £30,000 to make a national insurance contribution. It’s a short-term thinking. Pubs and breweries should consider recouping these costs by firing staff or increasing prices to consumers. Pubs and breweries close every day.

What unexpected bonuses have you enjoyed since starting your business?
We poured Wolfpack into some of the best sports venues, including Twickenham, The Oval and Wentworth. I’m very proud of that. Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones walked over when the Queen’s Park pub first opened. This was very exciting.

Your best saving tips during difficult times?
For the past year, I have been linking the EMMA app to my bank account. It puts in black and white how undisciplined your spending is. I don’t think you’ll ride a cup of coffee, a strange Uber at Nando’s cost, or drink lunch, but that kind of thing increases.

I’m trying to teach young children about money. I pay each of them to my kids’ savings account, Gohenry, for £5 a week. Then they decide how to use it.

My wife and I share one dul. We are selective about what to eat. Our biggest weekly expenses are at our local butcher. Because we like quality lean meat.