It’s hard to believe we are nearly four weeks in since our launch – things are progressing well.

We wanted to take this opportunity to update you on how we are doing and what we have been up to.

Sales have been increasing very well, you guys have been great in helping get the news out there for us, so thank you for that.

Without your support we wouldn’t be able to succeed in our mission in generating business sales so we can begin giving back to those who we seek to support. Our Social Media is beginning to gain traction, with our supporters sharing, liking, and spreading the word about what we do.

What do we do?

We sell the best beer and coffee! All so we can give back to those who gave so much already.

Who are we?

We are a group of veterans who wish to create a ‘Virtual NAAFI break’ in order to enrich the community of serving and former Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force personnel.

How will we do this?

Good question. Right now, our focus is to build the business. Without the business being a success, we cannot deliver as much as we hope in support of our veteran community. Our current mandate is to give 20% of all profits to the support networks out there who are making a lasting impact on our veterans. It is hoped that we can raise this percentage sooner than we would like, it’s a question of what comes first; the egg or the chicken?

What have we been doing?

We have been in some very productive meetings with THE BIG veteran charities, the feedback and willingness to support us has been amazing, and vice versa. We will soon be announcing some very big news on these partnerships and the events we will be supporting. We have also been reaching out to some smaller organisations, in the hope that we will soon be received with open arms towards our joint vision in supporting our veterans.

What is the ‘Virtual NAAFI Break’?

Our vision for this is to create a virtual space where veterans, and support networks alike can join together in creating a positive space for people to communicate, share experiences and to signpost the routes to assistance for those in need. This space will be a joint effort from the entire support community, ensuring we all give the same messages of support and show people the way. We all know the hardest step is the first step and that is recognising, then asking for help. There are so many organisations out there who do amazing work and we want to create a signpost system which will allow people to effortlessly reach out once they are ready, as well as allowing people to point support networks towards people who may need a nudge before they ask for help. Our aim, with the big charity organisations and the smaller networks, is to make sure a simple and unified approach to this is achieved by a clear set of visuals and links that are accessible for all and give the same accurate information to ensure the assistance is both timely and delivered in a sensitive manner suited to our proud servicemen and women.

How can people help?

We believe that all veterans deserve the sense of belonging we once enjoyed in the forces. DropZone Brewery will provide the beer and coffee, which is something we can all relate to as something we enjoyed with friends and colleagues when we felt that sense of belonging. Let’s keep up the momentum and spread the word, share stories and let people know where we are and what we do. In doing so, you will be helping more than you know, and also be a part of the support system.

We will share the news of our recent talks, and planned events, through our website as things are confirmed, as well as on our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn channels. Until then, please keep supporting us as we aim to provide you with the finest beers and coffees along our journey of giving back to those who already gave so much.

We would also like to take this opportunity to share some exciting news about the launch of our latest range. ‘Buckshee’ will be released later this month and will be a tasty IPA Blonde Ale. Also coming at the end of the month is ‘Green On’ and this is one for all you cider drinkers out there. Stay tuned for the release dates.

We are also releasing a bespoke batch of ‘Thin Blue Line’ labelled Lager in order to raise funds for the Police Firearms Association Fund, featured in our ‘Jon’s Story’ blog post. Many of our service personnel find themselves wearing another uniform and contributing to the safety of the British public through their service as police officers.