Tap Social Movement

Tap Social Movement was established in 2016 by three founders with backgrounds in criminal justice, combining a passion for beer with a mission to improve employment opportunities for prisoners and prison leavers. Its first brewery and events venue was created in Botley, with the taproom opening in January 2017 alongside a 1,000-litre brewing kit.

Employment and rehabilitation remain central to the business. Tap Social provides paid work for people on day release from prison and for prison leavers, alongside advocacy intended to improve opportunities after release. By 2026, the social enterprise reported creating more than 112,000 hours of paid employment through this work.

As production grew, Tap Social opened a new 2,000-litre brewery in Kidlington in 2023, moving brewing away from its original sites while retaining its hospitality presence. Beer is produced principally in keg and can, with occasional cask releases, and distribution has expanded from its Oxford roots to customers around the UK.

Tap Social has developed into a wider hospitality and food social enterprise, with its original Botley Taproom joined by The Market Tap in Oxford's Covered Market and a bar at Lock29 in Banbury, while Proof Social Bakehouse operates as its bakery and café business. Across brewing, baking and hospitality, the underlying aim remains the same: using inclusive businesses and community spaces to create employment and help reduce reoffending.