![\"Paul](\"http:\/\/www.cusjc.ca\/ottawainsight\/wp-content\/uploads\/Meek.jpg\" "\\"Paul")
<\/a><\/p>\nPaul Meek heads a growing Ottawa beer empire.<\/span><\/p>\n In a recent shakeup of Ottawa\u2019s community of brewers, Kichesippi Beer Co.\u2019s Paul Meek\u00a0 bought Heritage Brewing Co., Ottawa\u2019s only full-production brewery.<\/p>\n Ron and Donna Moir, Heritage\u2019s owners for the past decade, are retiring from the brewing business to spend time with family and a new grandchild. Picking up where they\u2019ve off is Meek, whose plans for the brewery have invigorated the existing staff.<\/p>\n In just eight months he has gone from being a small contract brewer, responsible only for the marketing, sale and distribution, to a full-fledged beer producer.<\/p>\n Meek comes to the production side of the beer business from a lengthy career on the sales side. Having begun as an Alexander Keith\u2019s sales representative at St. Mary\u2019s University in Halifax, Meek went on to work for some of the big brewers like Labatt and Sleeman,\u00a0 where he specialized in the craft and import beer portfolios.<\/p>\n With the purchase of Heritage in December and more recently the purchase of Scotch Irish Brewing (a distinct company from Heritage that operates out of the same location), Meek has grown Kichesippi exponentially larger\u2014 with plans to be on the shelves of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO), next month.<\/p>\n \u201cI never thought we would be owning Ottawa’s only full-production brewery within eight months,\u201d says Meek. \u201cWe’re very happy it worked out that way [but] it was definitely a little quicker than we had anticipated.\u201d<\/p>\n Contract brewing<\/p>\n Heritage has been Ottawa\u2019s only full-production brewery since it started in 2000, but there are other craft brewers in the city including the small but productive Clock Tower Brewpub downtown and Hogsback Brewing Co.<\/p>\n Like many craft brewers, Hogsback brews its beers under contract with another full-production brewery.\u00a0 Allowing someone else to make the beer for you can be useful when you\u2019re beginning in the beer industry. Without any of the responsibilities of production, contract brewers can focus on the other side of the business: marketing, sales and distribution.<\/p>\n Paige Cutland, co-owner of Hogsback, got into the brewing business last spring with three old friends, most of them having shared an early career in the Air Force.<\/p>\n Paige Cutland, co-owner of Hogsback, promoting his products in Ottawa pubs.<\/span><\/p>\n For the time being, Hogsback is only a part-time venture for Cutland who works in high tech. He says that when he and his business partners set out to create Hogsback, they had intended to build a brewery of their own as soon as possible.<\/p>\n On the advice of former Sleeman president Doug\u00a0Berchtold, Cutland and his partners decided to go the contract-brewing route for the first couple of years. Hogsback tapped Toronto\u2019s Cool Beer for the contract, in the hopes that down the line it will be in an even better position to build.<\/p>\n \u201c[Contracting] allows us to build our business, so that when we actually do want to commit that capital to building a brewery, we\u2019ll have a revenue stream,\u201d says Cutland.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll have a business model\u2026we\u2019ll have lots of customers. We\u2019ll be able to go to the bank and borrow that much more money than we could have a year ago when we had nothing but a business plan.\u201d<\/p>\n Hogsback has its Vintage Lager in 18 LCBO locations in the Ottawa area and developed a substantial base of restaurants and pubs carrying its draft.<\/p>\n With plans in the works to build their own brewery by next year, for the time being, Hogsback will continue to sell its Toronto-sourced product under a local name.<\/p>\n Battling the big guys<\/p>\n Besides the expense of producing the product, small batch brewers like Hogsback and Kichesippi are at a disadvantage when soliciting bars and restaurants to carry their beer.<\/p>\n \u201cThe challenge was growing our base of licensees that carry us on draft,\u201d says Cutland. \u201cThat was the bit that we probably underestimated.<\/p>\n While major producers like Molson and Labatt can afford to offer vendors discounted or free promotional materials, small brewers rarely have the budget to offer similar inducements.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n