Our history

Greene King was founded in 1799 by Benjamin Greene, who manages the business for 37 years before passing it on to his son, Edward. Our first 100 years also sees our first acquisition – from Greene’s Brewery to Greene, King and Sons. It’s important to acknowledge that after founding the brewery, Benjamin went on to own cane sugar plantations in the West Indies, where he enslaved people and used their labour. Even in the 1800s, his views on slavery were deeply unpopular - he wrote columns in his own newspaper in Bury St Edmunds, criticising abolitionists. Following his father’s departure, Edward Greene grew the business to the point that he merged operations with business rival, Frederick King, and Greene King started to become more recognisable as the brewery we see today.

By the time the two World Wars had ended, Greene King had acquired Rayment’s Brewery and opened a new brewhouse. By the 1960s, we’d built a new bottling store and modernised our head office - and established ourselves as a major player in the brewing and pub industry.

The century concludes with Greene King adopting Old Speckled Hen, which would go on to become Great Britain's number one premium ale brand.

Greene King’s portfolio continues to increase following a number of acquisitions, including Spirit Pub Company, allowing us to grow even further. In 2011, we launch an apprenticeship programme designed to invest in our team members.

Greene King continues to go from strength to strength and is now the country’s leading pub retailer and brewer, with over 3,100 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Wales and Scotland. We’re proud of the commitments we’ve made to our people and community.