Boundary Brewing expands from Portview into hospitality

2022 marked a major new chapter for Portview tenant Boundary Brewing Co-operative as the Belfast brewery expanded further into hospitality.

Boundary had been brewing at Portview since 2015, growing its membership, production capacity and reputation from its base in the former Strand Spinning Mill. In March 2022, the co-operative launched its third community share offer and raised £80,000 in a matter of weeks to help create its first permanent taproom.

The Portview Taproom opened to the public on 18 November 2022 beside the brewery. Designed as more than a place to drink beer, the venue was intended as a community hub for groups, clubs and events, while also bringing more visitors into Portview and the Newtownards Road.

The same year, Boundary also took on the leasehold management of The John Hewitt in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter. The pub remains owned by Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre and has a long-standing social-enterprise identity, making the relationship a natural fit with Boundary’s co-operative model.

For Portview, Boundary’s journey is a strong example of an independent business using the site as a base from which to invest, diversify and grow.

Contemporary coverage / source: Boundary Brewing – Membership history | Co-op Loan Fund – community benefits as Boundary opens taproom | Boundary Brewing – The John Hewitt