What do you get when you mix award-winning craft beer, fresh-baked sourdough, and a mission to transform lives? In the UK, it’s Tap Social Movement, and they just snagged two industry titans to help them scale up.
Paolo Lanzarotti, who once ran Asahi Europe & International (that’s 20 breweries and distribution across many countries), and Giles Thorley, the former CEO of Punch Taverns (which he grew into one of the UK’s largest pub groups), are now lending their considerable expertise as senior advisors. Because apparently, even beer moguls appreciate a good cause.
Tap Social isn't just brewing tasty IPAs like 'Time Better Spent' and 'Jobsworth Session Pale Ale' — which, by the way, are already stocked in over 240 Waitrose supermarkets. They're also running community venues, including their Proof Social Bakehouse. Later this year, they’re opening 'Day Release,' a new café, bar, and bakery at a massive science and technology hub. More locations are in the pipeline, because why stop at Oxfordshire when you're on a roll?
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Founded in 2016 by Paul Humpherson and sisters Amy and Tess Taylor, Tap Social set out to tackle a serious issue: reoffending. They offer training, support, and paid employment to people in prison and those who have recently left. To date, they’ve provided over 112,000 hours of paid work. Let that satisfying number sink in.
Their blend of commercial savvy and social impact has earned them titles like the UK's "Consumer-Facing Social Enterprise of the Year" and "Community-Based Social Enterprise of the Year" in 2024. Now, with Lanzarotti and Thorley on board, Tap Social is poised to expand its reach, proving that you can do good and do good business. Who knew a pint could be so impactful?
