Eden Brewery has signed a deal which will see its beer sit on the shelves of a major supermarket chain.

The firm will sell a range of its products in almost 20 branches of the Co-op in Cumbria.

Its Eden Gold, Eden Best, First Emperor, Thunderbolt, Dynamite and Depth Charge will be on sale as part of the Co-op’s local range in 18 Co-ops around the county.

Managing director Jason Hill is delighted with the deal and thinks it will help the brewery progress and grow its profile.

He said: “Our mission during 2017 is to grow the capacity of the brewery to bring more great beer to more people across the world. We know there is a huge community of smart drinkers out there who are demanding better beer. We are keen to connect with them in any way we can.

“The listing in the Co-op is one part of this overall picture. There are Co-op stores all over the county and we are glad that more and more people across Cumbria are going to be able to buy and drink our beer.

“Over the coming months we are going to be working hard on pursuing other routes to market to expand our reach beyond Cumbria and the UK.”

In May the brewery moved premises to cope with a rise in demand.

It left Brougham Hall and is now based at the Gilwilly Industrial Estate in Penrith. This move has given the brewery 4,000 extra litres of capacity for its products, taking its total capacity to 11,200 litres, meaning it can produce 5,600 litres of beer every week.

Eden has its own range of beer and also makes a number of products for the Westmorland Group to sell at its Tebay and Gloucester motorway services.

It is also producing a re-designed range of canned products to appeal to a growing sector of the beer market.

The brewery is also examining exporting its beer to Japan, France and Sweden.

The Co-op is looking to double the number of smaller suppliers it uses and give shoppers access to more local produce.

Charlotte Bleasdale, ranging manager for the Co-op in Cumbria, said: “It’s exciting to collaborate with breweries such as Eden - it is the innovation, quality, traditions and passion which make these prized local products and we are delighted to give them pride of place in our stores.

"We know that food provenance really matters to our customers.

"Quality and trust are key for consumers. Backing local produce is about much more than just ‘hanging out the bunting’ and the Co-op is committed to investing in its local communities and providing opportunities to showcase and celebrate great local food and drink.”