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Expansion of Thunder Bay brewery to bring new products, jobs

Sleeping Giant Brewing Company is introducing spirits, non-alcoholic drinks to menu
Sleeping Giant Brewing Co SGBC
A Sleeping Giant Brewing Company worker uses a new in-house canning machine, part of a major expansion supported with FedNor funding. (Ian Kaufman, TBnewswatch)

Growth plans at Sleeping Giant Brewing Company mean the Thunder Bay operation will soon be adding gin, vodka and whiskey to its menu, along with seltzers and craft sodas.

The news is part of a $460,000 expansion that’s expected to create 15 new jobs in the areas of production, quality control, and sales.

The brewery received $100,000 from FedNor to help with the expansion.

Andrea Mulligan, the brewery’s CEO, said the funding has helped to kickstart what will be a transformational expansion thanks to new equipment like an in-house canner and a pasteurizer, as well as an addition to its Macdonnell Street building.

“We’re introducing other products which we do want to sell beyond just the Canadian border, so having a pasteurizer allows us to increase shelf life and stability of our products when we need to,” said Mulligan.

Some new products, like a non-alcoholic ginger ale, are already on shelves in about 50 local stores. The company has also been approached by a larger chain that will sell its sodas in stores across Ontario and into Manitoba.

Founded by friends with a passion for beer, Sleeping Giant has steadily expanded since its launch in 2012.

The brewery now produces more than a dozen regular and seasonal beers from its 12,000-square-foot brewhouse and taproom in Thunder Bay’s Inner City.

— With files from TBNewswatch