Billson's has become the latest local drinks maker to appoint voluntary administrators, with the owners saying the "excruciatingly difficult decision" was made to ensure the brand would survive.
The distillery, brewery, soft drink and cordial maker is based in Victoria's High Country town of Beechworth, while the Billson's name in booze goes back to 1865. The site and name were given new life in 2017 by Nathan Cowan and Felicity Cottrill, alongside Nathan's parents, as they set about restoring the grand building to its former glory.
In a statement posted to social media, the owners said they'd faced many challenges since the start of 2024 and had tried to steady the business by restructuring on two separate occasions.
"The challenges we’ve encountered in 2024 have been vast and incomprehensible in scale," the statement said. "We will do everything possible to work through this so Billson’s can emerge more resilient as a business and ready to take on another century."
Under the family's ownership, Billson's has certainly enjoyed a meteoric rise, driven by their impressively broad range of RTDs, which include classic flavours and the more quixotic, such as Lemon Meringue and Turkish Delight. Earlier in the year, The Border Mail reported Billson's had slashed jobs in response to cost of living challenges, energy prices and Australia's tough tax conditions.
Nathan and Felicity said in their statement that they had been overwhelmed by the support they'd received during their seven years running Billson's, but that there had been a downside to their rapid growth.
"Unfortunately that growth masked several mistakes we made along the way as our systems and processes failed to keep up. We’re ultimately responsible for these mistakes and we know that we have let people down. We are devastated and sorry."
They plan to stay open seven days a week and will continue to operate their online store as normal, with the owners adding that support for local businesses was more important now than ever.
The original statement can be found below, The Crafty Pint has reached out to the Billson's team for comment. McGrathNicol have been appointed administrators and has reached out to the team there for comment.
Statement On Billson's Going Into Voluntary Administration
Today we made the excruciatingly difficult decision to put Billson’s into Voluntary Administration.
In 2017 Felicity and I moved to Beechworth with dreams of restoring the historic brewery and creating a special experience for everyone who visited.
Together with the team, we’ve poured our hearts and souls into Billson’s and we are proud of everything that has been accomplished.
Over the course of 7 years, everyone’s hard work and passion has resulted in overwhelming support by people all over Australia and some pretty incredible business growth. Unfortunately that growth masked several mistakes we made along the way as our systems and processes failed to keep up. We’re ultimately responsible for these mistakes and we know that we have let people down. We are devastated and sorry.
We are shattered by the stress this decision will undoubtedly cause our team, suppliers, customers and fans. We’ve tried everything imaginable over the past 6 months to avoid this situation, including restructuring on two occasions, however we now believe this to be the necessary step for survival.
The brewery has stood proud for over 150 years and has undoubtedly faced many other perilous times. The challenges we’ve encountered in 2024 have been vast and incomprehensible in scale. We will do everything possible to work through this so Billson’s can emerge more resilient as a business and ready to take on another century.
We know how difficult the current environment is out there for everyone. With so many family businesses teetering on the edge, any support you are able to provide your local businesses, in any way at all, will mean more now than ever.
We intend for our venue to remain open 7 days per week and our online store to operate as normal. We’ll continue to supply our fans through all of our amazing customers in bottle shops and venues across the country.
Thank you so much for your support over the years, it truly means the world to us. Despite our many shortcomings, we will never give up. With all of its remarkable local history, we believe that Billson’s will get through this, so people can enjoy it, well into the future.
Nath and Flic.