12:00a.m. 24th September 2008

Julian Roberts, left, and John Whimpress reckon they are on to a winner with their Laguna Bay Premium Lager Brew. Photo: Geoff Potter/ N21633

Noosa businessman John Whimpress has had plenty to celebrate in the past 12 months.

He has opened two bottle shops under the Cellarbrations brand, a wine bar/pub on Hastings Street called Laguna Jacks and a teppanyaki restaurant upstairs called Jack’s Teppan Char.

He has also bought into Conquest Timber at Yandina and Star Security, and is about to open a Sports First store in Noosa Junction.

But his biggest coup has been the distribution deal just signed with retailing giant Woolworths to sell Laguna Bay Premium Lager through Woolworths-owned Dan Murphy’s liquor outlets across Queensland.

Laguna Bay Premium Lager is a separate business entity Mr Whimpress owns in partnership with Julian Roberts, and presently has just one label.

“It’s a premium lager that’s being produced for us by Burleigh Heads Brewery on the Gold Coast,” Mr Whimpress said.

“It’s one of 108 different beers we sell at Laguna Jacks. Getting into Dan Murphy’s is very exciting ... a massive opportunity.”

The Laguna Bay brand was originally trademarked by Eumundi Lager, which produced Laguna Bay Pale Ale. But with the demise of that business, Mr Whimpress and his business partner reactivated the trademark.

Mr Whimpress said plans were for the business to build its own brewery and steakhouse at Noosa to manufacture Laguna Bay Premium Lager, and quite possibly other styles under the Laguna Bay brand.

“I’d like to see some good volume for the premium lager first, but we could certainly do a light beer or a pale ale,” he said.

Mr Whimpress said he had been thrilled by trade in the restaurant, adding he believed business success was all about having a competitive advantage.

“That’s the bottom line. In Hastings Street we’ve got the bar, the bottle shop and the teppanyaki restaurant – which as far as I know is the only one between Brisbane and Cairns,” he said.

“Each one of those elements attracts different clients.”