A new federation of provincial craft beer Associations, the CCBA-AMBC, has been founded to represent craft breweries in every province and territory in Canada
Canadian Craft Brewers Association–Association des Microbrasseries Canadiennes represents more than 700 craft breweries from every province and territory in Canada.
The federation aims to “promote and protect the interests of small and independent breweries across Canada”.
“Our Association represents a unique sub-sector of the Canadian alcohol beverage industry,” said Steve Beauchesne, co-chair and CEO of Beau’s Craft Brewery in Vankleek Hill, Ontario. “We’re made up of mostly young companies who are revolutionizing a very established industry. The story we have to tell is very different from the global corporate enterprises that now own and control the big beer companies in Canada.”
The CCBA-AMBC will initially focus on three strategic goals:
Educating federal government on the growing positive economic impact created by the craft beer sector, which includes a substantial business ecosystem of primarily small and local companies;
Working with the ten provincial craft beer Associations, providing services to support the rapid growth of member companies in the sector, many of which are new;
Promoting the hundreds of breweries and thousands of unique Canadian craft beer offerings to beer-drinking consumers nationally and internationally
The Canadian Craft Brewers Association has three member categories: Provincial craft beer Associations, of which there is one in every province; Independent craft breweries, of which there are over 700 in Canada including every province and territory; and Supplier and service provider partners, who form an essential part of the growing craft beer ecosystem.
“We are organized to allow each provincial Association to carry on business as usual,” added Frederick Tremblay, co-chair and CEO of Microbrasserie Charlevoix in Baie-Saint-Paul, Québec. “The provinces will work with the new national Association on issues that can only be dealt with at the national level.”
The Board of Directors of the new Association will be comprised of one individual to represent each of the ten provincial craft beer Association members, and one individual to represent craft brewery members in each of five geographic regions in Canada.
The Association board members are:
- Ken Beattie, BC Craft Brewers Guild
- Mike McNeil, Alberta Small Brewers Association
- Kari Stenson, Saskatchewan Craft Brewers Association
- John Heim, Manitoba Brewers Association
- Scott Simmons, Ontario Craft Brewers
- Marie-Eve Myrand, L’Association des microbrasseries du Québec Kirk Cox, Craft Brewers Association of Nova Scotia
- Andre Leger, New Brunswick Craft Alcohol Producers Association Mitch Cobb, PEI Craft Brewers Alliance
- Justin Fong, Newfoundland and Labrador Craft Beer Association
The regional brewery board members are:
- Western Canada breweries: Chloe Smith, Townsite Brewing Co., Powell River,
- BC Canadian Territories breweries: Bob Baxter, Yukon Brewing Co., Whitehorse,
- YK Ontario breweries: Steve Beauchesne, Beau’s Brewing Co., Vankleek Hill, ON
- Quebec breweries: Frederick Tremblay, Microbrasserie Charlevoix, Baie-Saint, Paul,
- QC Atlantic Canada breweries: Emily Tipton, Boxing Rock Brewing Co., Shelburne, NS
Rick Dalmazzi, partner in Sawdust City Brewery and member of the board of the Ontario Craft Brewers Association, will serve as Acting Executive Director of the CCBA-ACMB.