AS one of the first craft ale brewers in Ireland, Hilden Brewing Company has been around for 35 years.
But now the firm has ambitious plans to take its beer outside the country.
The family run business on the edge of Lisburn has spent several million pounds on a new brewery.
The installation has significantly increased the capacity of the former 'micro-brewery'.
Already popular throughout Ireland and Britain, Hilden has designs on using that extra capacity to cast its exports yet further.
The firm, which started as a small brewery in 1981 has expanded over the years to include a restaurant and bar and plays host to the Hilden Beer Festival annually.
The business was set up by Ann and Seamus Scullion in the courtyard of Hilden House, the former home of the Barbour linen barons.
It is now the oldest independent brewery in Ireland and with a weekly output of 14,000 litres - double the level of just two years ago - is on a major growth trajectory.
The brewhouse can actually turn out 20,000 litres a week so potential is there for further growth.
Brewery owner Seamus Scullion said the market had changed markedly over the decades with many competitors coming - and going - over the years.
He described as "odd" the fact Hilden is now considered one of the "big boys" alongside a raft of recently opened breweries across the north.
"Hilden was the first independently owned brewery in the whole of Ireland for more than half a century," he said.
"Whilst other breweries that started after failed in very tough trading conditions, we prospered.
"In recent years the interest in craft beers has grown dramatically along with many new breweries. Our beers, restaurants and events are now at the heart of this movement and we look to the future with confidence.”
His son Owen joined the family firm around 10 years ago.
"Growth has always been there organically but we've always been able to meet the demand domestically.
"The aim was also to get us up to a standard where we were ready to export.
"Ironically now that we are there, there is huge demand in Ireland and Britain."
Nevertheless, the Scullion family are determined to export their beers across Europe and beyond.
They recently travelled to Germany to explore expansion opportunities and have sights on several other markets on the continent.
Owen is manager of the brewhouse while his sister Frances Maguire is general manager.
The family will retain the original brewery equipment in order to work on small batches and special one-off brews.
It is based in buildings first used by William Barbour who established a thread mill on the site in 1824.
Barbour Threads grew rapidly and by the end of the 19th century it was the biggest linen thread company in the world with offices and mills in many international locations.
