Sam Wood - Nanobrewing Ltd - Research and Development Funding

Are you looking to grow your business through Innovation and Research and Development (R&D;)? Callaghan Innovation provides businesses with funding, support and advice to undertake R&D; projects and build their R&D; and commercialisation capabilities.

After seven years of tinkering and testing beer brewing equipment, entrepreneurs Ian Williams and Anders Warn invented a personal brewery machine which makes commercial quality beer in just seven days. They set up Nanobrewing Ltd and teamed up with Sam Wood from ATI Engineering in Hawke's Bay, who makes the WilliamsWarn machines.

Having secured previous MSI funding for his business ATI Engineering, Sam Wood approached MSI regional business partner Jenny Brown at the Hawke's Bay Regional Council to apply for R&D; funding. Three weeks later Nanobrewing Ltd was awarded $200,000.

"It was quick and so beneficial because it enabled us to get on with research and development immediately.

Sam says being awarded the funding in mid-2010 had a significant impact on the venture and enabled them to launch the WilliamsWarn beer brewing machines successfully in 2011.

"We were developing new products that required a lot of R&D; dollars. If we didn't get the funding grant we would have needed to seek a lot more investment."

The money was used to develop and test prototype units, and carry out research into beer ingredients and the brewing industry.

"Without the funding we wouldn't be as far advanced. The application process also made us take a serious look at our business and gave us the confidence that we were doing the right thing. It really pointed us in the right direction."

Nanobrewing Ltd is now exporting beer brewing machines to several countries around the world and hoping to expand even further.

For further information about Callaghan Innovation R&D; Funding you can contact Regional Business Partner Hawke's Bay which is jointly the Hawke's Bay Chamber of Commerce and the Hawke's Bay Regional Council. These entities are the primary contacts for Government-funded business assistance in the Hawke's Bay region.