Northern Monk: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show
Northern Monk Brewing Co. Ltd's person with significant control on the Companies House register is Russell Anesu Bisset. In the year to August 2024 Northern Monk Brewing Co. Ltd reported turnover of £16m.
- In the year to August 2024, Northern Monk had turnover of £16m, up 18.1% on the year before.
- It made a pre-tax loss of £2.0m, losing £12.14 of every £100 of sales.
- It employed an average of 109 people, with staff costs of £4m.
- These figures are from Northern Monk Brewing Co. Ltd's accounts for the year to August 2024, filed at Companies House on 31 May 2025.
- Registered name
- NORTHERN MONK BREWING CO. LTD
- Company number
- 08651758
- Status
- Active
- Incorporated
- 15 August 2013
- Registered office area
- Leeds
- Industry code on the register
- 11050: Manufacture of beverages
- Accounts
- Single company accounts, this company only
- Accounts type
- Full accounts
- Latest accounts
- Year to August 2024, filed 31 May 2025
What does Northern Monk do?
Northern Monk is a craft brewery in Leeds, founded in 2013 and known for its Faith pale ale. It sells its beer wholesale to pubs, bars and supermarkets, direct through its online shop, and through its own Refectory bars, the first of which is at its brewery in Leeds. It has raised money from its drinkers through crowdfunding.
In brief: craft brewery · Leeds · Faith pale ale · wholesale, online and own bars · crowdfunded
Source: Spark Intel editorial, checked 4 November 2026. Official website: northernmonk.com.
Who owns Northern Monk?
The Companies House register records Russell Anesu Bisset as the person with significant control of Northern Monk Brewing Co. Ltd, company number 08651758.
The register names an individual, not a company, as its controller.
The full ownership record is on the Companies House register. Control is given in the bands the register uses, not as exact shareholdings.
Who runs Northern Monk?
The Companies House register lists 4 current officers for Northern Monk Brewing Co. Ltd.
All 4 current officers
| Officer | Appointed |
|---|---|
| Russell Bisset | 15 August 2013 |
| Brian Robert Dickson | 22 June 2018 |
| Ryan Matthew McCarry | 8 April 2025 |
| Spencer Skinner | 19 May 2026 |
Every current officer, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
What did Northern Monk file?
Northern Monk Brewing Co. Ltd reported turnover of £16m in the year to August 2024. That was up 18.1% on £14m the year before.
It reported 109 employees. The year before it reported 99.
It filed a pre-tax loss of £2.0m for the year, against a pre-tax loss of £2m the year before.
Staff costs came to £4m. That is an average of £34,000 a head. It ended the year with £55k at the bank and net assets of £1.0m.
| Measure | Aug 2024 | Aug 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £16m | £14m |
| Pre-tax profit | -£2.0m (filed) | -£2m (filed) |
| Employees | 109 | 99 |
| Staff costs | £4m | £3m |
| Average staff cost per head | £34,000 | £33,000 |
| Bank and cash | £55k | £33k |
| Net assets | £1.0m | £57k |
| Interest paid | £0.7m | |
| Directors' pay | £0.2m |
Read the accounts to August 2024 (PDF, Companies House) · every accounts filing
What do these figures mean? Turnover vs profit · Profit per £100 · Cash vs profit · Net assets
Are there any charges against Northern Monk?
Northern Monk Brewing Co. Ltd has registered 2 charges at Companies House, of which 2 are still outstanding. A charge is security a lender takes over a company's assets; one is satisfied when the lending behind it is repaid or released.
Both outstanding charges
| Charge holder | Created |
|---|---|
| Marketfinance Limited | 24 October 2022 |
| Hsbc Bank PLC | 12 October 2015 |
Each charge, with its holder and dates, is on the Companies House register.
How Northern Monk compares
Of the 5 craft brewers, Northern Monk is 4th on turnover, 4th on profit margin and 1st on growth. Thornbridge keeps the most of every £100 of sales: £1.30.
| Rank | Craft brewers | Turnover | Profit per £100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | BrewDog | £280m | −£13.09 |
| 4th | Northern Monk | £16m | −£12.14 |
| + 3 more craft brewers ranked |
Ranked by turnover. Profit per £100 is pre-tax profit for every £100 of turnover, shown only where the profit is filed.
Northern Monk files as Northern Monk Brewing Co. Ltd, whose person with significant control is Russell Anesu Bisset, with turnover of £16m in its latest filed year.
Questions about Northern Monk
What does Northern Monk do?
Northern Monk is a craft brewery in Leeds, founded in 2013 and known for its Faith pale ale. It sells its beer wholesale to pubs, bars and supermarkets, direct through its online shop, and through its own Refectory bars, the first of which is at its brewery in Leeds. It has raised money from its drinkers through crowdfunding.
How does Northern Monk compare with its rivals?
By turnover, Northern Monk is 4th of the 5 companies in our battle of the craft brewers, behind BrewDog. The battle ranks them on turnover, pre-tax profit, margin, growth and net assets. The battle of the craft brewers →
Who owns Northern Monk?
The Companies House register records Russell Anesu Bisset as the person with significant control of Northern Monk Brewing Co. Ltd.
How much does Northern Monk make?
Northern Monk Brewing Co. Ltd reported turnover of £16m in the year to August 2024. It filed a pre-tax loss of £2.0m.
How many people work at Northern Monk?
Northern Monk Brewing Co. Ltd reported 109 employees in the year to August 2024.
Who runs Northern Monk?
The Companies House register lists 4 current officers for Northern Monk Brewing Co. Ltd. The full list, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
- Figures come from Northern Monk Brewing Co. Ltd's filings at Companies House, company number 08651758, for the period shown at the top of the page.
- These are single company accounts: they cover this company alone, not any wider group.
- Pre-tax profit is the figure the company filed, for both years.
- A figure the filing does not disclose is shown as n/d. A zero in the filing is treated as not disclosed, never as nil.
- Rounding: below £0.1m in thousands, from £0.1m to £2m to one decimal place, from £2m to the nearest million.
- Ownership is shown in the control bands the register of people with significant control uses, not as exact shareholdings.
- Officers' names and appointment dates come from the Companies House register. Job titles come from the company's own website. The description of what the company does comes from its website, or is marked Spark Intel editorial where it is written from stable, checked facts, with the date either way.
Spark Intel, “Northern Monk: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show”, updated 6 November 2026. https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/companies/northern-monk/. Figures from Companies House filings for NORTHERN MONK BREWING CO. LTD (08651758).
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