Big Shed Brewing collapses into liquidation less than two years after restructuring

Big Shed Brewing Co Pty Ltd, a long-running South Australian craft brewer and hospitality operator, has entered liquidation less than two years after emerging from voluntary administration, following the termination of its lease at its Royal Park brewery and taproom.

Matthew Jeffery of Heard Phillips Lieberenz was appointed liquidator on 4 December, 2025, bringing formal insolvency proceedings back to the business after a failed attempt to restructure in 2024. The appointment followed the loss of the company’s primary operating site, which management described as decisive to the group’s viability.

Big Shed told customers that its landlord had terminated the Royal Park lease and secured possession of the premises, forcing an immediate closure of both brewing and hospitality operations. The company said that once the lease was brought to an end, there was no practical pathway to continue trading or relocate the business in the near term.

The liquidation comes after Big Shed exited voluntary administration in March 2024, having restructured its debts following financial strain linked to the pandemic and the capital costs of expanding into a large scale brewery and venue. At the time, directors said the business had stabilised, but remained exposed to rising costs and a challenging trading environment for independent brewers and hospitality operators.

The business was founded in 2002 but commercial brewing didn’t begin until 2013. In 2019, the business relocated to a 1,400 square metre warehouse on Old Port Road, designed to support higher production volumes and a significant on-site hospitality offering.

That expansion left the company carrying higher fixed costs just months before COVID-19 restrictions curtailed venue based trade, a pressure that management previously acknowledged had pushed the business into unfamiliar levels of debt. Although trading conditions improved post-pandemic, the company said the loss of its lease ultimately rendered its turnaround plan unworkable.

The liquidator is expected to oversee the realisation of remaining stock and assets, as well as the investigation of the company’s affairs during the period between its exit from administration and the subsequent collapse. Big Shed has confirmed that staff were made redundant prior to the appointment and that it is cooperating with the winding up process.