Brick Brewing Co. Limited (“Brick” or the “Company”) (TSX:BRB), Ontario’s largest Canadian-owned brewery, today announced plans to upgrade can line capacity at its Kitchener brewery. The $3.5M project will install a new can filler and pasteurizer and will bring annual canning capacity to approximately four hundred thousand hectoliters (hl). Brick Brewing also operates Waterloo Brewing, its craft beer division.
“The project installation will be completed in May and we expect to see the upgraded can line operating at full capacity by the end of June,” noted Russell Tabata, Brick’s Chief Operating Officer. “We will build inventory in advance of the project to ensure that there are no disruptions in our supply chain and we continue to meet our internal and customer’s production needs while the project is being implemented,” added Mr. Tabata.
“Each year we establish an operating plan that reflects the future needs of our business and our customers. This year’s capital plan ensures we continue to grow our canning capacity and capabilities for both our owner brands and our co-pack customers,” said George Croft, Brick Brewing President and Chief Executive Officer. “Our ongoing investments, along with the outstanding efforts of our employees, resulted in significant can volume growth this past year. The strength and condition of our brands today gives us the confidence that we will need additional canning capacity to meet the needs of our owner brands and co-pack customer brands.”
Highlights:
- Brick Brewing is investing $3.5M to upgrade the can line at its Kitchener facility, which will double canning capacity to 400,000 hectoliters.
- Investment will pave the way for continued growth of the can business and improved competitiveness
- Project will deliver an improved environmental footprint with 15% reduction in natural gas usage, 25% reduction in water usage and 25% reduction in effluent discharge compared to current equipment on a per hectoliter basis.
About Brick Brewing:
Brick is Ontario’s largest Canadian-owned brewery. The Company is a regional brewer of award-winning premium quality and value beers and is officially certified under the Global Food Safety Standard, one of the highest and most internationally recognized standards for safe food production. Founded in 1984, Brick Brewing Co. was the first craft brewery to start up in Ontario, and is credited with pioneering the present day craft brewing renaissance in Canada. Brick has complemented its Waterloo premium craft beers with the popular Laker brand. In 2011, Brick purchased the Canadian rights to Seagram Coolers and in 2015, secured the exclusive Canadian rights to both LandShark® and Margaritaville®. In addition, Brick utilizes its leading edge brewing, blending and packaging capabilities to provide an extensive array of contract manufacturing services in beer, coolers and ciders. Brick trades on the TSX under the symbol BRB. Visit us at www.brickbeer.com.
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