How to Support Local - Kingsville Brewing Co Edition

If you haven't heard of Kingsville Brewing Company, let me tell you now, you're doing yourself a favour in cracking open a cold one from these guys! They've been perfecting their craft in brewing since long before they became "Kingsville Brewing Company", which is why their beer, no matter your choice, will always hit the spot!

We spoke with Derek, Director of Brewing Operations, on how Kingsville Brewery, and my personal favourite the Czech Style Lager came to be!

Tell us about your business and why you decided to open.

We are Kingsville Brewing Company located on the shores of Lake Erie in Southwestern Ontario! Opening the brewery was a way to share the passion and to share great beer. It’s difficult to narrow it down to just one reason, however for us the brewery is an environment within which our team can be creative, have fun, and connect with so many on a larger scale…and beer, don’t forget it’s beer!

What business was like before COVID-19?

Very normal, ha. Although having established in 2017, we’ve been working hard for a number of years building the brand and expanding our distribution across Ontario via the Beer Store, LCBO, and grocery network. The growth in our licensee business has been an excellent opportunity as well to reach our customers within bars and restaurants. In late 2019 we were very excited to open our Taphouse in downtown Kingsville, giving us a venue beyond our production facility to interact directly with our customers.

What has business been like since the outbreak of COVID-19?

As many others have experienced, our business model changed overnight. Our keg pipeline to bars and restaurants, including our Taphouse dried up immediately with the mandated temporary closures. Our reaction was to immediately jump on board with online sales and free delivery within Essex County and the response has been beyond anything we could have imagined. 5 weeks in and our drivers have likely covered every km of Essex County!

How will this impact your business long term?

It’s very easy to get caught up in the demanding pace of a growing business. The restrictions introduced by COVID-19 have required some retooling of daily operations, however it’s turned into a great opportunity for us. Our home delivery program has become an excellent way to connect with all of our participating customers (physically distanced of course), and we are very grateful for the support!

How can people help?

Pick up some beers, become a fan, and join our team with your photos on social! You can find us on Instagram and Facebook, and we encourage the hashtags #kingsvillebrewery and #teamkingsville. We love all of the connections! We understand that the current climate has made even the simplest things more challenging so our goal is to make it easy to get us into every fridge in Essex County!

Cheers! Derek Bilokraly  I  Director of Brewing Operations  I  Kingsville Brewing Co

You can try something new or place an order for your favourite variety through their online shop here!