Dear Charles,
There could be no more fitting day to write this letter than your birthday.
As we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the business you founded in 1876, I’ve spent a great deal of time reflecting on the legacy you created and what it means to be leading it today. I have the privilege of writing to you not only as your great-great-grandson, but as the fifth-generation Chief Executive entrusted with carrying your vision forward.
I often wonder what you would make of the business today.
You would certainly recognise some things. You would still find fantastic people brewing great beer, welcoming customers into our pubs and creating places where communities come together. You would still see a family deeply committed to the business that carries your name. And perhaps most importantly, I hope you would still recognise the values that inspired you to build something of your own all those years ago.
Other things, of course, would be almost unrecognisable.
Our pubs now span across England and France. The way we brew, communicate and do business has evolved beyond anything you could have imagined. Customer expectations have changed, technology has transformed the world around us and our industry continues to evolve at pace.
Yet despite all of that, I believe the heart of the business remains remarkably familiar.
Leading a fifth-generation family business is both an extraordinary privilege and an immense responsibility. Every decision I make is made with the knowledge that I am simply one custodian in a much longer story. I have inherited something built through generations of determination, courage and belief, and my responsibility is to leave it stronger than I found it.
When I look back across our family’s history, I don’t see a business that has simply survived for 150 years. I see generation after generation willing to embrace change.
Every era has brought its own challenges. Wars, economic uncertainty, changing consumer habits and countless moments when standing still might have seemed the safer choice. Yet every generation chose to adapt, invest and move forward.
I don’t believe that happened by accident. I believe it began with you.
You created more than a brewery. You established a way of thinking that has become part of our DNA: work hard, have the courage to innovate, never compromise on quality and always remember that businesses are built by people and for people. Those principles continue to shape every decision we make today.
When I became Chief Executive on 1st January 2020, one of the biggest decisions we faced was building Brewpoint, our third brewery and one of the most significant investments in our company’s modern history.
It was an ambitious project from the very beginning. Then, just as construction was underway, the world changed.
The Covid-19 pandemic brought uncertainty on a scale none of us had experienced before. Our pubs closed, our industry paused almost overnight and every decision became more difficult than we could ever have imagined. There were moments when it would have been understandable to question the path we were on.
Instead, we held our nerve.
When Brewpoint finally opened its doors, it represented far more than a new brewery. It became a symbol of resilience, optimism and confidence in the future. It gave us a modern home for brewing while reconnecting us with the craft that has always defined us. It reminded us that, however challenging the circumstances, creating exceptional beer remained at the heart of who we are.
I often think you would have admired that determination.
After all, every generation of our family has faced moments that tested them. Different challenges, different circumstances, but always the same resolve to adapt, innovate and move forward. I like to think that spirit began with you, and that we were simply carrying it forward in our own way.
There is one story, though, that I think you would enjoy most of all.
As we prepared to leave our brewery at Havelock Street and begin a new chapter at Brewpoint, we believed we had gathered everything that mattered. Then, almost by chance, I discovered the original starfish you had brought back from your days as a naval captain. It had slipped behind a filing cabinet and was almost left behind as we prepared to switch off the lights for the very last time.
Finding it felt like much more than good fortune.
That starfish had once sat proudly in the Boardroom at Horne Lane. It had quietly travelled with our family through generations of change before waiting to be rediscovered at exactly the right moment.
Today, it once again sits at the heart of our business.
As we have celebrated our 150th anniversary, the starfish has become a symbol of who we are. It reminds us that buildings may change, breweries may move and every generation will face new challenges, but the values that define us endure.
There is another part of my role that fills me with enormous pride.
Every time I visit one of our pubs, whether in Bedford, Cambridge, Paris or Bordeaux, I see our family name above the door.
Wells.
It is just one word, but it carries 150 years of history, responsibility and trust.
It reminds me that every guest who walks through those doors forms an opinion not just of a business, but of a family whose name has become synonymous with hospitality across generations. That is something I never take for granted.
Of course, no family business reaches 150 years because of one person.
Thousands of colleagues, entrepreneurial operators, partners, suppliers and customers have all played their part in shaping the company you founded. They have cared for it, strengthened it and helped it grow. Our family owes every one of them a debt of gratitude.
As we celebrate this remarkable milestone, I find myself thinking less about the last 150 years and more about the next.
Legacy is not about preserving the past. It is about creating a business that remains relevant, resilient and successful for those who will inherit it next.
That means continuing to invest. Continuing to innovate. Continuing to care deeply about our people, our pubs, our beer and the communities we serve. It also means ensuring future generations inherit a business that is resilient, relevant and successful.
If the last 150 years have taught us anything, it is that longevity is never achieved by standing still. It is earned by evolving, while never losing sight of who you are.
So, Charles, on your birthday, thank you.
Thank you for taking a chance on an idea in Bedford all those years ago. Thank you for creating a business built on ambition, resilience and integrity. Thank you for starting a story that, five generations later, still has many chapters left to write.
Cheers and happy birthday.
Peter Wells
Chief Executive Officer
