Two Fingers Brewing Co.

Two Fingers Brewing Co. was a UK craft beer brand and social enterprise established by seven friends who had worked together at a London advertising agency. The idea emerged in 2012 after several colleagues were affected by prostate cancer. The founders became concerned that prostate cancer caused a comparable number of male deaths to breast cancer deaths among women, while receiving substantially less public awareness and funding. They sought to create a consumer product that could raise money and conversation around men’s health without relying solely on conventional fundraising. The initial opportunity arose when the founders’ employer moved to a building with its own bar. They proposed producing a craft beer for the bar and donating all profits to prostate cancer charities. The project developed into a national brand in 2013. To preserve the charitable economics of the model, the founders assembled a network of suppliers and service providers willing to work at, near, or below cost. The enterprise also formed an official partnership with Prostate Cancer UK, the UK’s major men’s health charity. Its first and principal beer was Aurelio, a 4.8% ABV golden ale. The name was taken from a Latin male given name meaning “golden,” reflecting the beer’s colour and the brand’s naming concept. Aurelio used pale ale malt, crystal malt, Goldings hops, and Admiral hops, and was brewed and bottled for the company by Hepworth & Co., a craft brewery in Sussex. The beer entered public sale in January 2014 and was subsequently available through retailers and hospitality venues including Tesco, Ocado, Morrisons, Jamie’s Italian, and Club Gascon. Two Fingers used deliberately irreverent visual language to connect beer, masculinity, and prostate-cancer awareness. Its logo showed a hand with two fingers pointing into a black hole. The gesture represented a pledge to make good beer for a good cause and also functioned as a two-fingered salute to prostate cancer. The visual reference was intentionally provocative, alluding to the digital rectal examination associated with prostate screening while acknowledging that the clinical examination uses one finger rather than two. The company received recognition during 2014 for craft-beer innovation, community contribution, social entrepreneurship, and small-business achievement. It was also selected as the official beer of the 2014 Empire Awards, won a Business in the Community arc competition that provided a London Underground advertising campaign, and operated a temporary bar at Downing Street’s 2014 Small Business Saturday Christmas market. The brand was named Startup of the Year in The Guardian’s Small Business Showcase and won the UK final of The Venture, a competition for innovative social enterprises. Two Fingers Brewing Co. ultimately remained focused on Aurelio rather than developing the broader beer range it had discussed. The business was dissolved in 2020. Its significance lies in combining a commercial craft-beer proposition with an explicit profit-donation model and a campaigning purpose centred on prostate-cancer awareness.

Two Fingers Brewing Co. originated in 2012 when seven friends from a London advertising agency began discussing prostate-cancer awareness after several colleagues were affected by the disease. They learned that prostate cancer caused a level of mortality comparable to breast cancer among women, but that public awareness and funding for prostate cancer were considerably lower. The group decided to use beer as a vehicle for fundraising and awareness. Their employer was moving to a new building containing a bar, creating an opportunity to make and sell a house beer. The founders’ original plan was to donate all profits to prostate-cancer charities. The project developed beyond the workplace and became a national craft-beer brand in 2013. The company built a supporting network of organisations that accepted work at, near, or below cost, allowing more of the beer’s proceeds to support the cause. It also entered an official partnership with Prostate Cancer UK. The first beer was Aurelio, which went on sale to the public in January 2014. It was a 4.8% ABV golden ale brewed with pale ale malt, crystal malt, Goldings hops, and Admiral hops. Hepworth & Co., a Sussex craft brewery, brewed and bottled it for Two Fingers Brewing Co. The beer was distributed through a combination of retail and hospitality channels, including Tesco, Ocado, Morrisons, Jamie’s Italian, and Club Gascon. The brand’s identity deliberately combined craft-beer cues with provocative men’s-health communication. Its logo depicted a two-fingered hand pointing into a black hole. The gesture was presented as both an oath to make better beer for a good cause and a salute directed at prostate cancer. The black-hole image made an irreverent reference to the digital rectal examination used in prostate-cancer assessment, although the clinical examination itself involves one finger rather than two. During 2014, the company attracted extensive recognition for its social-enterprise model. Awards and honours included Best Craft Beer Innovation at the International Beer Awards, the Contribution to the Community Award at the Nectar Business Small Business Awards, inclusion in the Smarta 100, Startup of the Year in The Guardian Small Business Showcase, and victory in the UK final of The Venture. It was also selected as the official beer of the 2014 Empire Awards, won a Business in the Community arc competition for a London Underground advertising campaign, and ran a pop-up bar at Downing Street’s Small Business Saturday Christmas market. Two Fingers had discussed expanding its portfolio with additional beers named after men whose names reflected each beer’s character, but the documented commercial range remained centred on Aurelio. The company was dissolved in 2020. No later operating activity or successor brand is established in the supplied reference material.

1. 2020Dissolution

   Two Fingers Brewing Co. was dissolved.

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2. 2014Aurelio enters public sale

   The company’s first beer, Aurelio, a 4.8% ABV golden ale, went on sale to the public in January.

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3. 2014Recognition as a social enterprise

   The brand won or received recognition from several business, craft-beer, community, and social-enterprise programmes, including The Venture UK final.

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4. 2013National launch

   Two Fingers Brewing Co. expanded nationally and established an official partnership with Prostate Cancer UK.

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5. 2012Founding concept develops

   Seven advertising-agency colleagues developed the idea of selling craft beer to fund prostate-cancer charities after personal connections brought the disease to their attention.

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A purpose-led British craft beer brand using beer sales, irreverent branding, and profit donations to support prostate-cancer charities and promote men’s health awareness.

• AurelioGolden ale2014

  Aurelio was Two Fingers Brewing Co.’s first and documented principal beer. It was a 4.8% ABV golden ale brewed with pale ale malt, crystal malt, Goldings hops, and Admiral hops. The name came from a Latin male given name meaning “golden,” referring to the beer’s colour. Hepworth & Co., a Sussex craft brewer, brewed and bottled the beer for the brand. It was released publicly in January 2014 and sold through UK retail and hospitality outlets.

• 2014London Underground advertising campaign

  United Kingdom

  Two Fingers Brewing Co. won a Business in the Community arc contest whose prize was a London Underground advertising poster campaign.

  Outcome. The campaign was reported as having an audience reach of more than two million people and more than 19 million opportunities to see.

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• 2014Downing Street Small Business Saturday pop-up bar

  United Kingdom

  The company was selected to run a pop-up bar at Downing Street’s Christmas market held in honour of the UK’s second Small Business Saturday.

  Outcome. The event gave the young social enterprise a high-profile national platform.

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• 2013Prostate Cancer UK partnership

  United Kingdom

  The company formed an official partnership with Prostate Cancer UK, aligning its profit-donation model and men’s-health messaging with the charity’s prostate-cancer work.

  Outcome. The partnership became a central part of the brand’s social-enterprise positioning.

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• 2013Build a subsidised partner supply chainStrategy

  The company needed to operate a commercial beer supply chain while directing profits toward its charitable purpose.

  What changed. It assembled partners willing to provide production, logistics, sales, insurance, legal, public-relations, printing, and other services at, near, or below cost.

  Aftermath. The arrangement supported the brand’s national availability and social-enterprise model.

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• 2012Use beer profits to support prostate-cancer charitiesStrategy

  The founders wanted to address the lower awareness and funding associated with prostate cancer after colleagues were affected by the disease.

  What changed. They developed a craft-beer business whose stated purpose was to donate all profits to prostate-cancer charities.

  Aftermath. The concept became the foundation of the company’s national launch and partnership with Prostate Cancer UK.

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• 2020Two Fingers Brewing Co. is dissolved

  The craft beer social enterprise was dissolved, ending the company’s operations as an independent brand.

  Bankruptcy
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• 2014Aurelio goes on public sale

  Two Fingers Brewing Co.’s first beer, Aurelio, a 4.8% ABV golden ale, became available to the public in January.

  Product launch
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• 2014Two Fingers Brewing Co. receives 2014 awards and public-profile opportunities

  The company received recognition for craft-beer innovation, community contribution, social entrepreneurship, and small-business achievement, while also gaining promotional opportunities through the Empire Awards, a London Underground campaign, and a Downing Street pop-up bar.

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• 2013Two Fingers Brewing Co. launches nationally

  The social-enterprise beer brand expanded from its original workplace-bar concept into a nationally available UK brand and formalised its partnership with Prostate Cancer UK.

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1. Two Fingers Brewing Co.