Meet the Team at Fauna HQ

As the old cliche goes, we are a family here at *insert company name*. However trite it sounds, team Fauna certainly has a unique bond. Some may call our relationships codependent, others dysfunctional. Enable each other's nonsense though we may, the real foundation of each work-bestie coupling, is a love of Fauna Brewing.

Bound by our purpose of Brewing Goodness for a Better Planet, we’re a tight knit crew, always ready to welcome someone new into the fold. Each of us has our own peculiarities, but none of the others have the monopoly on content writing. With that in mind, here’s a little extra and unrequited info about each of us, and what we do at Fauna Head Quarters.

Phil, Fauna Founder

It’s difficult to know where to start when discussing Phil’s role at Fauna. Whilst I have made a hobby of not-so-secretly collecting photos of him standing next to things, Phil is always working.
An endless dreamer, who is also the most generous person I know, Phil is an incredibly inspiring Founder. I’m fortunate to be tasked with sharing his story which is intricately woven with Fauna’s. Like all true entrepreneurs, Phil only wished to call his favourite things his job. Beer + Animals / Philip = Fauna Brewing.

Phil’s love of animals sustained him throughout his zoology degree, and eventually took him all the way to Botswana in the hopes of becoming a safari guide. Instead, this month-long study trip brought forth Fauna Brewing. 
Friends and housemates described to me the first drafts (pun 100% intended) of Fauna, and consuming bottles of mango pale ale expiring in the living room way back in 2021. Phil has brought Fauna Brewing a great distance since then, initially brewing with Exhale in North London before bringing it home to Arundel. Being a Sussex Brewery is to walk with giants of the industry! Both East and West Sussex have a huge and diverse landscape of unique, independent breweries, producing some of the south's most interesting and infamous beers. 

Mat, Head Brewer

What I could write about Mat’s behaviour at our Arundel Brewery and Taproom could fill a few of our larger tanks. He is, quite frankly, the silliest person I’ve had the fortune of working with. Mat watching is my favourite way to procrastinate, he’s always up to something shocking. An authentic oddball, Mat is part of the local reenactment troop and has a pet Umbrella Cockatoo. Aside from regularly trolling him for not taking photos in the correct orientation so that they may be of any real use to me, the real joy of being in Mat’s life is witnessing his newest adventure, in fatherhood.

Listening to Mat talk about beer is to know you're in the presence of someone who lives in their true vocation. He often name drops Sussex brewery heroes, with a genuine appreciation for the legacy of Sussex brewers who have come before, as well as being a mentor to those who will come after.

April, Marketing

Not unlike most professionals frequently suffering with imposter syndrome, I find it difficult to quantify what I do at Fauna. The woman behind the captions, a camera shy content marketer, whose mission is to share Fauna’s conservation conscious beers and earth-first ethos of Brewing Goodness for a Better Planet.
My behind the scenes approach to Fauna’s marketing has led to a remote method of managing Fauna’s marketing needs. It is with an open heart and my signature (yet uncomfortable) level of sincerity I can say I miss each and everyone at Fauna HQ deeply, and am looking forward to our IRL reunion.

Megan, Events & Hospitality

I like to say Megan is in charge of everything; having headed up Fauna’s hospitality limb for almost 2 years now. Megan led the vanguard for our new kitchen and bar back in the spring of 2024, and most recently the huge expansion into private events.
Megan loves animals and is regularly pet-sitting for a neighbour or team mate. But the true way to her heart is to ensure she is regularly supplied with snacks. A formidable woman at the best of times, a hungry Megan is not to be approached. 
What really rings true about Megan is how much time and care she gives not only to the whole team, but all of Fauna Taproom’s customers too. When someone makes the bold and exceedingly smart choice to host a party at our Sussex Brewery, Megan is with them every step of the way. The definition of a team-player, she is the first to jump up and lend a hand in the brewery, digging out the mash tun or packing boxes for online orders on cold mornings. 

Lis, Brewer

Elissa is Fauna’s secret weapon; the personification of cool and she doesn’t even know it. Joining us in 2023, we’re fortunate that Lis consents to being Fauna’s part time spokesmodel alongside a Fauna Brewer, as she is a true force. The way Lis approached the brewery, and brewing as a whole, is relentless. While putting herself through mentorship programmes, trainings, and studying for a new certification; Lis is also a talented graphic designer who has 2 little sausage dogs at home. A serial hobbyist, Elissa is an amateur forager, a former ballerina and a polymath of musical instruments. She brings an edge, and much appreciated tenacity to our Sussex Brewery.

Tommy, Head of Sales

The newest addition to the Fauna family, Tommy joins us from a very successful tenure with Laines Brewery, an East Sussex based company that now has venues spanning the UK. A legit craft beer super fan, Tommy’s passion recently took him to Japan for a mini tour of breweries in the far east. Taking the mantra of “do what you love, love what you do” to heart, a career in beer seems the obvious choice for Tommy. 
As silver tongued a salesperson as they come, Tommy could charm the scales off a pangolin. Lucky for us, he chose to use his power for good, and joined us in Brewing Goodness for a Better Planet.

Stay tuned for our Meet the Team; Hospitality Edition...