24 BCBusiness MAY 2014
The Business
of Beer
W
hen British Columbians
reach for a brew, they're
increasingly opting for
local craft beer. Micro-
brew sales have almost
doubled in four years, from $6.2
million to $11.8 million, while at the
same time the national brands have
lost $126 million in sales.
Clearly, a revolution is simmer-
ing and BCBusiness wants to let our
readers in on the fun. On May 29,
the eve of Craft Beer Week, we're
bringing the pioneers together for a
summit on business opportunities
(and pitfalls) in the booming local
beer scene. Jamie Floyd, co-founder
of Oregon's Ninkasi Brewing Co.,
will keynote, followed by two lively
panels ranging from how to open
a brewery in B.C. to selling and
marketing when you do. The lineup
of speakers is a who's who of local
innovators: Red Truck's Jim Dodds,
Brassneck's Nigel Springthorpe and
Central City's Tim Barnes.
There's also an exclusive screen-
ing of Brew Love, a short film by local
filmmaker Jeremy Dyson that charts
the rise of the Vancouver beer scene.
And in case you're wondering:
yes, there will be craft beer tastings
between each session, courtesy of
our speakers. The industry after-
party (included with admission) will
kick off Vancouver Craft Beer Week
(BCBusiness.ca/Beer).
■
A new BCBusiness
event brings together
the region's brewing
entrepreneurs
by Tom Gierasimczuk
m a r k e t i n g
Ninkasi Brewing co-
founder Jamie Floyd
p18-24-Frontlines_may.indd 24 2014-04-15 11:04 AM
