ant than family. We have an employee with twins on the way. So we are sure to be accommodating for whatever family issues or personal situations come up. We’ll arrange to have shifts covered or whatever is necessary.” It’s important for any business to have a consistent attitude and policy toward the life/work balance. Many private-sector start-ups struggle with finding the right personnel and the happy balance. And every business situation brings with it a different life/ work balance. Collectively prioritizing families first as a matter of policy takes large strides in ensuring a cohesive atmosphere at Breton. The brewery’s location on Cape Breton Island is, as mentioned, home base for the families and friends of
the co-owners, but MacDonald and Morrow point out that there’s something for everyone who visits their friendly shores. “We’ve just come off of one of our busiest tourist seasons. There’s a lot to enjoy here, like world-class golf courses (the last ratings ranked Cape Breton as having three of the top five courses in Canada), we have beautiful beaches, the Cabot Trail, historical sites like the Alexander Graham Bell Museum, a busy cruise ship industry, camping, hunting, music… we’ve got something for everyone.” “We knew there was a gap in the market here, so we jumped into it with both feet.” All these activities are paired with Cape Breton’s natural beauty. Amidst all of nature’s wonders sits their brewery — unabashedly catering to the needs of tourists and locals alike. Mac- Donald explains, “What we offer is a pretty comforting environment in our tasting room. And we have a biergarten that we opened just this June. So when you come here and try our beers, we explain what they’re about and how they’re made. It’s a great stop on any tour.” And remember, it’s one of the friendliest places you’ll find anywhere. So when they claim to offer a “pretty comforting environment,” you can bet it’s an understatement. With about 100 cruise ships docking nearby each summer, Breton has been not only market- ing directly to the tourists, but has additionally been in talks with cruise ship companies to get onto some of the official dry-land tours. They
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2017
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