Hambleton Brewery

Hambleton Brewery was founded by Nick Stafford in 1991, beginning with old steel tanks in an outbuilding at the bottom of his in-laws' garden. Growing demand soon pushed the brewery beyond its original home, and in 1994 production moved into a larger barn elsewhere in the village. An early success was Nightmare Porter, created after a brew did not go to plan in 1993 and later named Supreme Champion Winter Beer of Britain in 1997.

Innovation became another important part of the brewery's development. After several years of research, Hambleton released GFA in 2005, described by the brewery as the first British-brewed gluten-free beer. GFA later won Best Gluten Free Beer in Europe at the 2015 World Beer Awards.

Continued growth led to another move in 2007, this time to purpose-built premises at Melmerby near Ripon. Today, Hambleton produces cask, keg and packaged beer alongside monthly specials, while also providing contract brewing and packaging services. The family business is now run by Nick's daughter Rachel and son-in-law Ben, continuing the brewery's original focus on producing high-quality beer.