We revisit our conversation with Ken Greer of Halifax-based company BeerTech which specializes in draught system technologies. BeerTech offers consulting, design and installation, cleaning and maintenance, as well as beverage dispensing gas services to craft breweries, pubs, and restaurants throughout New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia. It’s Ken’s mission to design every BeerTech draught system for “optimum performance and cost savings and do the installation to the highest industry standards.” Even if you’re not in the beverage industry BeerTech has something for you.
By David MacDonald T he story of BeerTech is a real bootstraps tale. Ken Greer registered the company name in 2013, packed his bags, and headed south of the 49th parallel. “It doesn’t matter what you do, education is key,” Ken said. “When the BeerTech name was mine, I went down to do training at Micro Matic, which is an American company that builds draft equipment and they offer an advanced draft course. The course really teaches you to install draft systems and how to do it right.” But doing it right is only part of the BeerTech equation. “It’s a really fun industry,” Ken contin- ued. “There’s a lot of comradery amongst the brewers in the craft brewing industry in Nova Scotia and throughout the Maritimes in general. It’s a lot of fun going into a new pub, a new craft brewery or a new restaurant and setting up their taps. Going in and it’s barebones and then setting up their new draft system is a really great feeling.” Ken explained that the ranks of his from-the- ground-up clientele are growing. When he came back toHalifax fromhis advanced training program at Micro Matic with his mortarboard in hand, the sun was shining as it were. “We started right around the time the boom in the craft brewing industry happened,” Ken con- tinues, “When we started there was just one New Brunswick-based company doing draft installa- tions throughout the Maritimes so people were used to being at their mercy. Prices were not at all what they should have been because there was no competition and if your business was in Nova Scotia you could be waiting a while, too.” As the stand-alone draught systems technolo gy company in Nova Scotia, making hay often means that BeerTech is hitting the open road. If you’ve ever had a growler filled at Big Spruce
Brewing in Nyanza on Cape Breton Island or sampled an IPA in the tasting room at the Tatama- gouche Brewing Company on the Northumber- land Strait or brought home a six-pack of swing- top bottles from the Schoolhouse Brewery in the birthplace of hockey, Windsor, your libation was brought to you in part by BeerTech. “We put in a fair amount of kilometres throughout Nova Scotia,” Ken said. “The number of craft brewer- ies and pubs we’ve done over a five-year period is remarkable.” Ken goes on to say, “I don’t take any jobs I cannot get to quickly if you have a problem,” he continued. “One of the things that we like to do is educate people – we don’t just come in and install your draft system and then just disappear; we give you enough information to get yourself out of trouble but not enough information to get yourself into trouble. If people get too comfortable with their system they start fiddling and if you start fiddling you can get into trouble. We leave our customers knowing the basic mechanics and science behind their systems so that they can troubleshoot until myself or Grant is on the scene.” “It doesn’t matter what you do, education is key.” Despite BeerTech’s perpetual growth spurt, Ken explained that he is cautious of too much change. “I don’t want to grow to any more than four people. I want to stay small and stay local and basically just work for small independently-owned businesses like in the craft industry.” However, that doesn’t mean that Ken isn’t willing to continue to diversify his business model.
“The bulk CO2 side of the business is growing and
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APRIL 2019 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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