OFFERING BEER ENTHUSIASTS A LITTLE PIECE OF CRAFTED HEAVEN HELL’S BASEMENT BREWERY T oday’s craft beer industry is exploding in Alberta and nowhere is that more evident than at Hell’s Basement Brewery in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Only 3 years old, Hell’s Basement Brewery has already earned a lineup of awards, including a World Beer Cup, and they are listed as one of the op 15 breweries in Alberta on Trip Advisor. We chat with Mike about the industry, the growth of the brand and why they feel the enthusiasts are connecting with the brand and of course their amazing line up of beers. by Anita Flowers
The name Hell’s Basement was inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s famous quote after traveling across Canada in 1907, “This part of the country seems to have all hell for a basement, and the only trap door appears to be in Medicine Hat. And you don’t even think of changing the name of your town. It’s all your own and the only hat of its kind on earth.” Spotlight on Business had a chance to talk with Mike Patriquin, founder and General Manager of Hell’s Basement Brewery, about the brewery and his focus on brewing great beer and becoming a local community hub.
Hell’s Basement Brewery focuses on using local community resources and capitalizing on next door creativity. “Our brand is strongly tied to place and the “for- gotten corner” of southeast Alberta. We opened our business at a time of recession, and we provided a spark of new life in Medicine Hat in 2016 when the news mostly contained announce- ments of business closure,” said Patriquin. “Our neighbour across the street at Terralta Inc. did much of the contracting during our construc- tion phase and they continue to be a good neigh- bour to have when repairs are needed! All of our creative work is done locally - from beer recipe design, to the beer names through to label art. In particular, we work with Amy Gervais from Rap- scallion Design and her husband Jeff Barrett from Tiki Press. Both are small businesses based in Medicine Hat.”
well. “We see ourselves as a hub for good people to gather including families and pets. We are both kid and pet friendly as long as they come with parents and guardians! We even make our own in-house craft non-alcoholic sodas and cider for those not super keen on beer,” said Patriquin. Hell’s Basement has about 5 full time employ- ees with additional staff hired during the busy summer season, averaging about 11-15 employ- ees during the business cycle. For the last two years, the brewery has employed students using summer student grants. The programs benefit both the student and the business. The brewery gains financial assistance with salaries, while the students gain exposure to all different aspects of the brewery business, including production, sales and marketing, business development, graphic design, customer service and even the element of tourism that comes with craft beer.
An economist by training, Patriquin worked for the federal government for over 15 years.
“I came to this by fate. This is a post-career career,” said Patriquin. After leaving his government job, Patriquin worked as a business consultant and then wrote a business plan for a craft brewery. “It was a need to do something tangible. I’ve always had a love of beer. It seemed like a natural fit, to produce something tangible that makes people happy and brings people together. One of my favourite aspects of this business is the culture that comes with it. Nobody has a bad time over a beer,” explained Patriquin.
The community focus extends to customers as
41
40
JUNE 2020 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • JUNE 2020
Made with FlippingBook Annual report