Cheers to ten years: Cape Breton craft brewery marks big birthday
Ten years ago, two young men in Sydney - a consulting engineer, and a teacher - had a dream.
'Myself and Andrew (Morrow) were both home brewers at the time,' said Breton Brewing Co., co-owner Bryan MacDonald on Friday, of the pair's fledgling business idea back in 2015.
Bryan MacDonald and Andrew Morrow
Breton Brewing celebrates their 10th year anniversary. (Source: Facebook)
MacDonald said he and Morrow, who were both starting their families as well, felt an entrepreneurial itch.
That's why they left their jobs, and on the final weekend of June 2015 opened the first craft brewery in the Sydney area.
Cape Breton Island has two other microbreweries - Big Spruce Brewing in Nyanza and Route 19 Brewing in Inverness.
'It was definitely a leap,' MacDonald said. 'But we had a good business plan and a belief in our idea, so we decided to take that leap.'
'It seems like a whirlwind,' Morrow added. 'The last ten years have been filled with a lot of highs, and a lot of support from the community that we live in.'
Breton Brewing's beginnings were relatively humble.
The brewery started with just two kinds of beer - Black Angus IPA and Stirling Hefenweizen German wheat beer, growlers only -and a building the two men renovated along the way while selling their first several months' worth of pints.
Breton Brewing Co.
Breton Brewing brewed a beer specially for their ten-year anniversary. (CTV Atlantic/Ryan MacDonald)
Now, their beers are among the best-sellers throughout Nova Scotia and the Maritimes.
'Because of that support, we've been able to increase our staff to about 30 and employ people here in Cape Breton,' Morrow said. 'And that was our main goal, was to keep more people home here in Cape Breton.'
There are events happening at the brewery on Keltic Drive in Coxheath all weekend long to celebrate the ten-year anniversary, but the big day is Saturday.
The main day of festivities includes an outdoor concert headlined by Jordan Musyscyn, The Tom Fun Orchestra, and Rankin MacInnis & The Broken Reeds.
No decade in business is without its challenges, and the past one included the COVID-19 pandemic when Breton - and so many others in the industry - pivoted to make home deliveries.
As for what might be in store for the next ten years, the two men say something new could be 'on tap' by as soon as the fall.
'We're working on a downtown location in Sydney,' MacDonald said. 'We have a building that we have been working on retrofitting, so that's kind of the next step for Breton Brewing.'
Heading into their big birthday weekend, there seemed to be only one thing left to say.
'Cheers to ten years,' Morrow said.
For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
14 hours ago
- CBC
How this Kentville salon is a safe haven for 2SLGBTQ+ clients
Farrah Ferguson will never forget the feeling of pure joy they felt when they shaved their head for the first time. "I looked in the mirror and I said, 'Oh my God, I look so cute,'" said Ferguson. "That was the moment of, 'Oh wow, this is really how I want to express myself.'" They said for years, people would discourage them from having anything but long locks, which is why when Bridge Beauty Bar opened in downtown Kentville, N.S., last year, Ferguson became a returning customer. "There are a lot of places you can go to have hair and esthetics done in the valley, which I'm sure they all have their own merits. But as gender-diverse people …not everybody always feels safe going into a traditional salon or barbershop," said Ferguson. "Some people are afraid of how they will be perceived, whether there will be assumptions made about who they are and how they present," they said. "So it's really important to be able to walk in somewhere and know, 'I belong here.'" When Mel Hiltz, a trans and non-binary hairstylist, opened the Bridge Beauty Bar in January 2024, that's exactly what they wanted to achieve. The salon fosters a safe space for clients, while breaking down gender norms in the beauty industry by providing gender-affirming haircuts and services. Hiltz said one of the best feelings is being able to give someone a haircut that allows them to express who they truly are. "It is probably the most rewarding part of my job," said Hiltz. Hiltz moved from Halifax to the valley as an effort to bring more queer-owned businesses to rural Nova Scotia. "I think one of the biggest worries going into any new space as a trans or non-binary person is that you're going to get misgendered, or you're going to be judged," said Hiltz. In hopes of erasing this worry for their clients, Bridge Beauty Bar has implemented a number of practices, including asking for the client's name and pronouns ahead of an appointment. Staff also share their pronouns with clients, and are thoughtful about the language they choose. For example, they might use terms like "soft" or "flowy" to describe someone's hair, instead of "feminine," said Hiltz. The salon is also equipped with gender-neutral washrooms and offers pricing based on the time spent in the chair, as opposed to having different prices for men and women. The Dresscode Project These efforts are all part of an initiative called The Dresscode Project, a campaign to create safe spaces in salons for the 2SLGBTQ+ community. The group was founded in Toronto by hairstylist Kristin Rankin, and has over 500 member salons and shops in North America, including six in Nova Scotia. There's a directory on its website where clients can locate businesses associated with the project. There are several criteria to become a member of The Dresscode Project, but most notably, the salon must choose at least one day per year to offer free haircuts to 2SLGBTQ+ clients. "This fun, and often life-changing event allows those to see themselves for the first time, helping to shift their gender dysphoria into euphoria," says the website. Hiltz and their staff hosted this year's event on Wednesday, to coincide with the annual Valley Pride festival. They provided free haircuts or waxing services to about 25 clients. Hiltz said for their first client of the day, it was her first gender-affirming haircut. "We were both almost in tears by the end of it," said Hiltz. Client Kiran Awrey, emphasized how significant these offerings are, as they too have had experiences in the past at salons where stylists assumed their gender and what style they'd want. "The hairdresser's kind of inputting what they think would look good or pretty on me when … I wasn't going to look like a woman necessarily," said Awrey. Awrey is now a loyal customer at Hiltz's salon, but said the business represents something more than a place to get haircuts. "[To] continue now into their second year is also really important for the community to see that queer business and queer people thrive here. It's just heartwarming to see that there's kind of this beacon for us," said Awrey.
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
No vacancy: Most downtown Halifax hotels fully booked for Canada Day weekend
The front desk at the Westin Nova Scotian hotel in Halifax is pictured. (CTV Atlantic / Jesse Thomas) If you're still hunting for a hotel room in downtown Halifax this Canada Day weekend you may be out of luck. 'We are sold out enough that even if the King himself showed up at our front doors we would unfortunately have to turn them away,' said Glenn Bowie, general manager of the Westin Nova Scotian hotel in Halifax's south end. Most downtown hotels are sold out this weekend and even booking well in advance doesn't always guarantee a spot. Ontario tourist Brian Potts found that out the hard way. 'About two months ago I was trying to get a nice hotel in the downtown area,' said Potts. 'But they were all sold out.' Potts said his persistence paid off, but he and his wife had to settle for a hotel a little further away from the downtown area than they were hoping for. Tourism in Halifax is booming A new report from the Downtown Halifax Business Commission (DHBC) shows that tourism numbers have surpassed the numbers from period years and have eclipsed numbers prior to the pandemic. Halifax welcomed more than 19.2 million visitors in 2024, that's 18 per cent higher than in 2023 and 3.1 per cent higher than pre-COVID levels. 'We're in a growing city so we did expect numbers to bounce back,' said Paul MacKinnon, DHBC CEO. 'We actually had projected that we would hit those numbers next year, so we're a little ahead of where we wanted to be.' With visitor numbers up and major events filing the calendar, industry leaders like MacKinnon says it's time for Halifax to expand accommodation options. The DHBC has lobbied Halifax Regional Council to reserve land in the Cogswell District redevelopment area for a hotel. 'One of the opportunities right now, because the city has a bunch of land that will be coming on to the private market,' said MacKinnon. 'Maybe one of those land lots be designated for a hotel.' For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
Cheers to ten years: Cape Breton craft brewery marks big birthday
Ten years ago, two young men in Sydney - a consulting engineer, and a teacher - had a dream. 'Myself and Andrew (Morrow) were both home brewers at the time,' said Breton Brewing Co., co-owner Bryan MacDonald on Friday, of the pair's fledgling business idea back in 2015. Bryan MacDonald and Andrew Morrow Breton Brewing celebrates their 10th year anniversary. (Source: Facebook) MacDonald said he and Morrow, who were both starting their families as well, felt an entrepreneurial itch. That's why they left their jobs, and on the final weekend of June 2015 opened the first craft brewery in the Sydney area. Cape Breton Island has two other microbreweries - Big Spruce Brewing in Nyanza and Route 19 Brewing in Inverness. 'It was definitely a leap,' MacDonald said. 'But we had a good business plan and a belief in our idea, so we decided to take that leap.' 'It seems like a whirlwind,' Morrow added. 'The last ten years have been filled with a lot of highs, and a lot of support from the community that we live in.' Breton Brewing's beginnings were relatively humble. The brewery started with just two kinds of beer - Black Angus IPA and Stirling Hefenweizen German wheat beer, growlers only -and a building the two men renovated along the way while selling their first several months' worth of pints. Breton Brewing Co. Breton Brewing brewed a beer specially for their ten-year anniversary. (CTV Atlantic/Ryan MacDonald) Now, their beers are among the best-sellers throughout Nova Scotia and the Maritimes. 'Because of that support, we've been able to increase our staff to about 30 and employ people here in Cape Breton,' Morrow said. 'And that was our main goal, was to keep more people home here in Cape Breton.' There are events happening at the brewery on Keltic Drive in Coxheath all weekend long to celebrate the ten-year anniversary, but the big day is Saturday. The main day of festivities includes an outdoor concert headlined by Jordan Musyscyn, The Tom Fun Orchestra, and Rankin MacInnis & The Broken Reeds. No decade in business is without its challenges, and the past one included the COVID-19 pandemic when Breton - and so many others in the industry - pivoted to make home deliveries. As for what might be in store for the next ten years, the two men say something new could be 'on tap' by as soon as the fall. 'We're working on a downtown location in Sydney,' MacDonald said. 'We have a building that we have been working on retrofitting, so that's kind of the next step for Breton Brewing.' Heading into their big birthday weekend, there seemed to be only one thing left to say. 'Cheers to ten years,' Morrow said. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
