A small, independent brewery in Kent, Whitstable Brewery crafts small-batch beer using British barley, Kentish water and a mix of both Kentish and World hops, winning both SIBA and CAMRA awards for its beers. It supplies pubs across the UK, including The Corner Tap, Faversham, and the Whitstable Oyster Company, who in 2003 stepped in to save a Kentish microbrewery's site when it folded. Rafik Abidi, a Heriot-Watt trained brewer with years of experience of the British brewing industry, was hired as head brewer.