Administrators appointed to Sou’West Brewery in Torquay, staff terminated

A three-year-old Surf Coast brewery part owned by AFL stars has shut its doors after administrators were appointed on Wednesday, with all 30 staff out of a job, effective immediately.

Sou’West Brewery sits closed and empty with a sign on the door after the venue was shut because of financial issues.

Up to 30 staff have lost their jobs after a Surf Coast brewery with AFL connections was forced shut because of financial issues.

The directors of Sou’West Brewery in Torquay appointed KordaMentha as administrators on Wednesday, with the firm confirming it had no alternative but to cease operations and terminate all staff immediately.

Gregory Ellery and Broderick Arnhold are listed as the company’s directors on Australian Securities and Investments Commission documents.

Port Adelaide footballer and Torquay native Travis Boak, Carlton superstar Charlie Curnow and his brother, former Blues footballer, now Lorne coach, Ed Curnow are listed, among others, as part owners.

Located in the former Quiksilver warehouse in Baines Cres, the brewery opened three years ago.

The venue sat empty on Wednesday with no one at the site.

A sign on the door read “closed until further notice” and listed a phone number for suppliers and creditors to contact.

The adjacent cafe, also operating under the Sou’West name, was also shut.

A handwritten sign on its door read “closed today, sorry for the inconvenience”.

Google has already listed the brewery as “permanently closed”.

Google has listed Sou’West Brewery in Torquay as permanently closed.

An employee who wished to remain anonymous said staff were informed of the situation by management via email on Wednesday morning.

They were assured their entitlements would be paid in full.

The employee said sales targets were not being achieved because of a noticeable drop in trade that was attributed to growing cost-of-living pressures.

“People just aren’t going out as much as they were … it has declined a lot,” the employee said.

“We weren’t the only business experiencing that and it became a bit of a marketing exercise to promote bargains to attract customers.

“Especially in winter, Torquay is really, really quiet … I think the owners decided to cut their losses.”

The employee said they felt terrible for the owners, who were described as “lovely people”.

“It’s really sad, to be honest,” they said.

Sou’West Brewery has closed, effective immediately.

The warehouse was converted at considerable cost into a large beer hall, play area, tasting pavilion, and open-air terrace.

The large area, capable of holding 400 people, incurred significant overheads and it is understood attempts by the owners to have their rent reduced were unsuccessful.

KordaMentha’s Andrew Knight said he hoped a buyer could be found and the business restarted.

The brewery’s last Facebook post was on Sunday.

“If you’re planning to treat Mum to a special meal and drinks, visit our website to check available tables and lock your booking in,” it read.

Originally published as Administrators appointed to Sou’West Brewery in Torquay, staff terminated