“Crafted for Adventure: Adventurous Beers for Adventurous People” personifies the owners’ lives growing up with the Rockies in their backyard. Backcountry skiing, snowboarding, hiking and climbing are all favourite activities for these outdoor enthusiasts. Even the names of the beers are inspired by west coast adventure, and include monikers such as Summit Seeker, Mount Crushmore, Plainsbreaker and Chinook Saison. Berard shares that despite its current success, startup for the company was not without challenges. Prior to December 2013, the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission had a minimum production capacity requirement set at 5,000 hectolitres per year, required brewers to raise a significant amount of capital and sign a long-term lease for a mid- level brewery before obtaining a license. The three founders had a list of investors and a well-developed business plan, however the three were thrilled when Alberta’s minimum production legislation was removed as they were able to access the market quickly and without any outside investors. They could have decided to take the easier or softer route by entering the market using a contract brewer, but the friends knew they wanted to “dive in headfirst.” “Creating beer is “art as much as science, you have to be creative.” In December 2015, construction began on their taproom. General contractor, Paul Hutt of Hutt Construction, helped them build their vision and doors opened at the end of May 2016. Berard speaks with passion about what it meant to open the taproom, saying, “It is our blood, sweat, tears and souls in this place.” Berard, McLean and Horner ran every aspect of the business themselves until October of the same year, when they hired Erin Schultz
Banded Peak Brewing Inviting you to Taste the Adventure
Proudly crafted for adventure in Calgary, Banded Peak is a craft brewery born from three long-time friends’ shared love of the mountains, adventure and beer, combined with their shared entrepreneurial spirit. All born and raised in Calgary, Matthew Berard, Colin McLean and Alex Horner turned “making some beer on the cheap, into the most expensive hobby of all time” and subsequently, their full-time careers. Each brought varied skills and educational backgrounds together to build a company that was “a labour of love” and the three men literally “dug the trenches” to build the successful brand they have created. Banded Peak is named after a mountain that is visible from Calgary with a sheer rock face that doesn’t collect snow. It literally has a band around it. The brands’ tagline,
by Christi Rideout S potlight on Business recently sat down with Matthew Berard, one of the co-owners of Banded Peak Brewing, to learn more about how he and a couple of childhood buddies, Colin McLean and Alex Horner, had been having fun brewing at home for a few years. After sharing their creations with friends and getting the thumbs up on their skills starting a craft brewery and entering into the Alberta market just seemed like a natural progression for this beer trio.
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DECEMBER 2019 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2019
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