Wells & Co celebrates 150th anniversary with museum display as it looks to the future in Bedford

Wells & Co established by Charles Wells in 1876, has teamed with The Higgins Bedford to create a display about its history.

The free exhibition, which is open until 2027, features photos, bottles, and other memorabilia from its history.

We visited Brewpoint to sit down with Peter Wells, CEO of Wells & Co, who grew up “surrounded by beer”.

In his youth, he visited The Three Compasses – which he described as “a fantastic pub”.

He noted: “If they hadn’t seen an old regular for a little while, they would literally send out search parties to go and make sure they are alright. And it’s just that sort of sense of community that I grew up with a true sense of love for.”

Peter added he was proud of the fact Wells & Co was still here today, calling it an “incredible testament to the ability to adapt, to be creative and to be continuously entrepreneurial”.

The company sold its Eagle brewery on Havelock Street in 2017 – with Peter saying it was “due to changing consumer habits throughout the 2010s”.

He explained: “There had been a big change in drinking habits. People were probably starting to drink half the amount of beer and alcohol they were consuming.

“As a business, we were coming under pressure from a lot of those global brewers like Heineken, Carlsberg, Budweiser, etc – who were becoming really competitive in order to win the volume to ensure that they could keep their breweries full. We were also seeing a massive increase in the number of small micro-breweries, which all eat into that volume – and we were caught in the middle.

"And so, we felt that it would be a good time to change our model. We took that strategic decision to just focus on creating the highest quality craft beer – brewed with modern equipment – that we really focus on selling into our pubs and ensuring our pubs have a key point of difference by the great beer that we produce here.”

And it turns out Wells & Co shares a connection with The Higgins.

“There used to be a brewery next to it in the old house as a part of The Higgins,” Peter explained. “Josephine Grimley [Charles Wells’ wife] actually lived in that house, so there’s always been a connection with it.”

He described The Higgins as “extraordinary” and as a “wonderful museum that has an incredible collection”.

And when The Higgins asked if Wells & Co was interested in doing an exhibition, he said: “it just seemed like a perfect synergy”.

Looking to the future, Peter said: “It’s going to be a really exciting time for Bedford. The government have already identified the arc between the two university towns of Oxford and Cambridge; they are talking about in serious terms now about actually developing the East West Rail line and then also including a whole new town in Tempsford.

“We are absolutely at the heart of all of that in addition to the fact that we are going to be welcoming some 30,000 visitors to this area on a daily basis once Universal opens in 2031, so with that there will undoubtedly be opportunities to provide additional accommodation and host the fabulous hospitality that we know how to do so well.

“We’ll continue to run fabulous pubs, and we’ll continue to brew an array of fantastic beers. I think we are very clear about what we’re great at and we will continue to do that – and we’ll continue to look at any and all opportunities that arise within the area of hospitality, drinks and accommodation.

“And we would expect to continue to build and grow the business, provide a great place to work – as well as great pubs to visit, great beers to drink – hopefully over another 150 years.”

> The Higgins Bedford is open from 11am to 5pm Tuesday to Saturday, and 2pm to 5pm on Sundays and bank holiday Mondays. It is closed on regular Mondays.