A large cash injection from the federal government is expected to help North Bay's Gateway City Brewery expand.
On July 24, Anthony Rota, MP for Nipissing-Timiskaming, announced a repayable FedNor contribution of $534,422 to support the expansion and modernization of the North Bay brewery, which just recently moved into a new location near the corner of Main Street West on Gormanville Road.
Cofounder Jeff Hodge said the funding will help pay for a new canning line that will allow them to expand and make more than just beer products.
"We have been using mobile canning for the last five years since we have opened where we have actually had to bring in outside people to come into our brewery and do a canning run for us when we have beer ready," explained Hodge.
"So we were paying upwards of $4,000 per month in rental fees for a machine that we were hoping to purchase. So this investment is going towards our own canning line and it is an advanced state-of-the-art canning line to can on our own schedule and it will allow us to expand our product line."
Hodge says they are still in the planning stages but he hopes to also add a food component to the new Gormanville Road facility and even potentially open a virtual golf area as well.
Rota is excited to see what the funding will do for the North Bay brewery.
"I mean $500,000 is a fair amount, and it is a loan but what it does is it allows them to expand to another level and sometimes that little expansion really does make a difference for businesses and allows them to grow," explained Rota.
Founded in 2018, Gateway City Brewery is an award-winning brewery that has built its reputation as a premier independent craft brewery with a loyal following. The company prides itself on manufacturing high-quality craft beer that is distributed locally and across the region.
“We are excited to be receiving support from FedNor as we look to grow and expand our business," added Hodge.
"We are proud of our community and are thrilled that this investment will take us to the next level and allow us to continue to contribute to a strong, local economy here in North Bay.”
Marco Mendicino, the federal minister of public safety, was supposed to be in North Bay for the event but cancelled at the last minute.
No reason was given, but sources say that Mendicino will be part cabinet shuffle Wednesday after his mishandling of the Paul Bernardo issue.
He was also slated to visit the Nipissing First Nation to discuss First Nations policing and other Indigenous-led public safety initiatives, talk economic opportunities with North Bay Economic Development, stop by the Suswin Village Friendship Centre, and meet with the mayor, police chief and MP Anthony Rota, among other activities.
— BayToday
