Murray Barton loves it in Margaret River. So much so that since he moved there 13 years ago he set about setting up a cellar door there for his burgeoning winery.

But Margaret River is wine country, and it’s competitive (and expensive) to do that. So to help pay the bills, Cheeky Monkey Brewery was born.

In that same vein, Murray knew that he had to be as green as possible. Because it was in going green that he could make some real savings. Receiving a grant to build a 30kW solar panel system for the brewery was just common sense.

“It was an economic decision first and foremost, but we also want to be as environmentally conscious as we can. We’ve definitely seen some significant cost savings in the few months that we’ve had this.”

We have a vineyard that takes care to have as small an impact on the climate as possible, of course, but principally this decision was about cost savings and electricity savings. And on both counts, it’s worked.”