munity. Postmark’s collaboration program and their relationship with their communi- ty and partnering businesses is second to none. Thorp explains that his background in the action sports industry introduced him to the value of the collaborative spirit. “Yeah, I was in the action sports industry for about 10 years in sales and marketing and I saw so much collaboration in that industry. Everybody worked together and it made for a lot of successful outcomes. So, coming over to the brewing industry, I saw that it was there on the brewing side — lots of sharing of information between breweries. But from breweries to outside industries, there wasn’t a lot. And I think maybe we had access to a different market, just from my experience and background.”
Thorp turned this experience into a benevo- lent endeavour. He was passionate about the Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF). He is an avid fisherman and had forged a relationship with the PSF, an organization that works toward a sustainable wild salmon species on the West Coast. Like most non-profit organizations, funding is a major hurdle. To help out, Postmark brewed their PSF Lager, a custom craft session style lager, kicking back proceed to the PSF. Many of Postmark’s collaborations fall along the lines of more traditional business-to- business relationships. Thorp makes the point that B-2- B collaborations are of the utmost importance to any success story. “It’s all about relation- ships. For example, there’s a really interesting shop in Van- couver called Shaper Studios. It’s a DIY surf shop. You can go in and actually shape your own surfboard. Just a really cool, community-focused entrepreneurial concept. So, we partnered with them last year to support them through a couple of their store launches and parties. We did a custom beer for them. And for us, it’s just a great way to get the attention of each-other’s clientele.” “We have a love for the whole BC outdoor culture.” Many new craft brewers name their products after geo- graphical regions, landmarks, or other representations that point specifically to subject matter of regional significance. The name “Postmark” was chosen specifically to counter this philosophy. “We wanted a name that wasn’t attached to any one place. It enables the brand to have some room to grow. We don’t want to be limited by geography. We love the word ‘Post’ because the brewery came after (or post) some of the other project we’ve done. So, it felt new to us. And we were brainstorming and someone just blurted out ‘Postmark’ and it really felt like us — making our mark on the industry. And there aren’t a lot of businesses using it, which helps me on the branding side.”
Making a mark in the industry indeed! The next move for Postmark? Vancouver is just one step in the plan for a larger market. Thorp explains that they plan on filling that “session-style” gap and bringing that West Coast lifestyle to reaches well beyond the Vancouver area. In fact, have already secured distribution across the Canadian Prairies. “Right now, we are sold across BC, Alberta, Saskatche- wan and Manitoba… When there were pricing changes in Alberta recently, we took a bit of a margin hit, but it’s important to us to support that market there. We’ve seen a huge uptake in Alberta. And I actually grew up in Calgary, so that market is important to me.” All indications point to the sky being the limit for Postmark. Atlantic Canada is starting to see their products filter onto their shelves. Of course, Ontario is the big nut to crack in Canada. The Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) is inundated with craft brews from across the world vying for shelf space in Canada’s most populated province. “We’ve met with the LCBO a few times and are looking at doing some submissions for our beers there. But we haven’t solid- ified that yet. That would be a goal for 2018.” International markets are also beginning to get a taste of Postmark. HUGE and evolving international markets. Thorp points out, “We’ve expanded to Asia this year. We have friends who are in a distribution company and they took us on and they specialize in selling to Asia. We analyzed the market and jumped on board early. I did a trip with them to Bangkok and Hong Kong. It was amazing. We are actually sold now in Singapore, Hong Kong, China and Thailand.” Postmark continues to bring the West Coast lifestyle in the Prairies, the Near East and the Far East! Chances are, with the ambition and branding smarts they are bringing to the market, you’re going to find their session-style beers on a shelf or tap near you — posthaste!
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JANUARY 2018 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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