Asking Labatt for a favour to save a Hamilton brewery
A western Canada brewer is hoping that an altruistic gesture by Labatt will help him set up shop in Hamilton’s defunct Lakeport Brewery—where, not to put too fine a point on it, he could begin the process of competing with Labatt Brewing Co. Ltd.
Minhas Creek Craft Brewing, which made headlines in January when the AGCO accused the brewery of using sports to sell its Boxer brand beer, wants to set up shop in Ontario. The Lakeport brewing facility would be perfect—and moving in there would save about 140 jobs—except for the fact that Labatt plans to gut the entire building of usable equipment.
Beer analysts told the Spectator that the brewery will be worthless to beer makers if it’s stripped bare. “The equipment is not formally for sale; however, we are hoping they would entertain the offer for the good of Hamilton and beer drinkers,” Ravinder Minhas, co-founder of Minhas Creek, told the Globe.
By placing his hopes on a multinational corporation doing something for the good of anything but the bottom line, Minhas has clearly demonstrated his grasp of capitalism.
• For sale: One brewery. Bring your own vat [Globe and Mail] • Suds battle starts to bubble [Hamilton Spectator]
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