“Industry Event of the Year” features 30+ Speakers/Presenters/Experts
45 Craft Brewing Industry Suppliers in Marketplace
&
Special Guests, Scottish Craft Brewers on a “Learning Journey”
TORONTO (September 26, 2014) – Ontario Craft Brewers will host their third annual, one-day industry conference on Thursday, October 16, 2014 at the Allstream Centre (Exhibition Place), 105 Princes Blvd,
in Toronto. The Ontario Craft Brewers Conference & Suppliers Marketplace 2014 is the craft brewing industry’s ultimate day of education, celebration, and business-to-business connecting.
OCB Conference will be in Toronto again this year.
“The craft brewing industry is expanding worldwide,” says Sybil Taylor, Communications Director, Steam Whistle Brewing and Chair of Ontario Craft Brewers’ Conference Advisory Committee. “In the past decade, we have seen tremendous growth in craft brewing in Ontario and our conference has responded with an expanded agenda to address the opportunities and issues facing our craft brewing brethren. Our Suppliers Marketplace is 28% larger than last year and we hope to double our attendance from the first year.”
Speakers from Ontario Craft Breweries, industry experts and suppliers will address the 350+ attendees on a range of technical and professional topics including branding, marketing, brewing, packaging, HR, legal issues and ingredients. The conference learning sessions will conclude with the ever-popular ‘Pioneers Panel’, when all attendees will gather to hear of the trials and triumphs from long-standing legends of the Ontario Craft brewing world: Ron Keefe of Granite Brewery, Michael Hancock of Side Launch Brewing, and Charles Maclean, Maclean Ales. The hour long session will be moderated by Muskoka Brewery President and former OCB Chair, Gary McMullen.
Speakers/Event Topics include:
(Keynote) INTERNATIONAL CRAFT BEER TRENDS, Stephen Beaumont, Beer Authority
BUILDING YOUR ONTARIO CULINARY TOURISM EXPERIENCE, Rebecca LeHeup, Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance
HOW TO START TO DO BUSINESS WITH LCBO, Leanne Rhee & Mark Wilson, LCBO
BUILDING BUSINESS BY BETTERING YOUR BRAND, James Morris, Communications & Brand Strategy
SOCIAL MEDIA 101: CRAFT BEER COMMUNITY BUILDING, Leslie Hughes, Punch Media
TRENDS & INNOVATION IN PACKAGING, GLASS BOTTLES and GLASSWARE, Valeria Jasarevic, Wine Village, Chris Johnston, Steam Whistle
REAL WORLD SUSTAINABILITY, Cher Mereweather, Provision Coalition & Steve Beauchesne, Beau’s All Natural Brewing Co.
PROTECTING YOUR BRAND: TRADEMARK LAW, Paul Braunovan, Perley-Roberston, Hill & McDougal
CONTRACT BREWING, RISKS & REWARDS, Gary Gillman, Gillman Professional Corporation, Barristers & Solicitors & Michael Hancock, Side Launch Brewing
FINANCING BREWERY GROWTH and GOVERNMENT GRANTS & INCENTIVES, Andrew Luetchford, Joanna Gibbons, Michael Ligas and Jennifer Loscher, Deloitte
QUALITY ASSURANCE: A ROADMAP, Colin Banting, Steam Whistle, Vera Morton, Mill Street Brewery & Mark Benzaquen, First Key Consulting
SETTING UP A MICROLAB, Andy Gould, Professional Services Ltd.
ONTARIO HOPS RUBBING, Melanie Doerksen & Nicholas Schaut, Ontario Hops Growers’ Association
YEAST PROPOGATION: BEST PRACTICES, Kara Taylor, White Labs
HR BASICS: HEALTH & SAFETY AND EMPLOYMENT LAW 101, Jason Beeho, Rubin Thomlinson & Matthew Badrov, Sherrard Kuzz
MAINTAINING KEG INTEGRITY, Chris Nimptsch, Profamo
STOP WASTING C02, Melissa Reid, Acme Concord Corp.
The OCBC Suppliers Marketplace is a hive of activity with craft brewing suppliers exhibiting equipment, technology and services (list below). It is a great place for breweries to meet multiple suppliers in one day/location and for suppliers to exhibit their products and services. The marketplace, which sold out in a matter of days, is currently at capacity but industry suppliers who wish to get exposure with the thriving craft beer market can register for a listing on the Ontario Craft Brewers Suppliers Directory. This comprehensive listing will be provided to OCBC 2014 attendees. To register a business, service or product offering in the directory, visit OCBC Suppliers Directory Registration. The listing is free for OCBC 2014 suppliers’ marketplace exhibitors.
OCBC 2014 participating suppliers include:
Acme Concord Corp
Adhesive Specialty Inc.
Anton Paar USA
Berg Chilling Systems
Brand Concepts
BrewFab Limited
Brewing and Malting Barley Research Institute
Brew Culture
Canada Kegs & Packaging
Canadian Beverage Supply Inc.
Cellar Tek Supplies
Charles Faram Inc.
Cicerone Certification Program
DME Brewing
Ecolab Co.
GEA Westfalia Separator
General Filtration
Georg Fischer Piping Systems Ltd
Haleson Inc.
HRC Insurance
Jenrey Ltd. / Petainer Canada
Keg Club Inc. / Schaefer Kegs
Krones Inc.
Lightweight Containers
Linde Canada Limited
m + f KEG-Technik GmbH & Co. KG
Metro Label Company Ltd.
Sessions Craft Canning
Moore-McLean Insurance Group
Nova Filtration Technologies Inc.
Ontario’s Artisan Food & Beverage (FAB) Region
Packaging Technologies Inc.
Pall Corporation
Palmercanning
Praxair Canada Inc
Prospero Equipment Corp.
Qualtech Toronto
Resolution Inplant Services Inc.
Sani Marc Inc.
Saxco International Inc.
Scott Laboratories
TricorBraun
Wine Village Inc.
UBC Cool Canada
Zenan Custom Cresting
This year’s conference will also include some very special guests, a group of Scottish craft brewers who are here on a “learning journey.” Hosted by Scottish Development International, the breweries include:
West Brewery
Thistly Cross Cider Co. Ltd.
Loch Ness Brewery
Loch Lomond Brewery
WooHa Brewing Company
Eden Brewery of St. Andrews
Fyne Ales Ltd.
Spey Valley Brewery
The Craft Beer Clan of Scotland
Crawcraft Ltd.
The day conference will be capped off by a Craft Beer & Cheese Social between 5 – 7 p.m., featuring Ontario Craft Beer and artisanal cheeses made from 100 per cent Canadian cow’s milk, courtesy of Dairy Farmers of Canada. OCBC 2014 is also sponsored by Wine Village and Deloitte.
An Industry After-Party will also be held at Mill Street Beer Hall in the Distillery District from 8 p.m. – close. This fun-filled tasting event will feature a DJ spinning vinyl and craft beer samples from 12 OCB breweries, including:
Beau’s All Natural Brewing Co., Van Kleek Hill
Black Oak Brewery, Toronto
Cameron’s Brewing Co., Oakville
Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery, Barrie
Granite Brewery, Toronto
Great Lakes Brewery, Toronto
Lake of Bays Brewing Co., Baysville
Lake of the Woods Brewing Co., Kenora
Left Field Brewery, Toronto
Muskoka Brewery, Bracebridge
Provincial Beverages (King Brewery, Barn Door), Nobleton
Steam Whistle Brewing, Toronto
No tickets required; just tokens for samples. Event is open to the public.
“This will be Ontario Craft Brewers’ industry event of the year,” says Taylor. “Although we are all competitors in the craft beer marketplace, this conference shows how co-operative we are, with some of the newest entrants being helped along with advice from the pioneers. This conference focuses on quality; and, the entire industry, consumers included, wins, when our collective standards are raised.”
The conference is open to any organizations, individuals, breweries, brewers and associates from Canada and the U.S. who wish to attend. Tickets can be purchased online and the full agenda can be accessed on the conference website http://ontariocraftbrewers.com/conference/
Ontario Craft Brewers: Discover the Difference. The Ontario Craft Brewers is an association of 45+ small brewers dedicated to making great tasting, high quality beer in Ontario. Ontario Craft Brewers brew their beers locally using fresh, all natural ingredients in communities throughout Ontario – from the Ottawa Valley to Windsor and Niagara to Muskoka and as far north as Kenora. Handcrafting over 350 premium beers, Ontario Craft Brewers employ almost 1,000 people in Ontario, accounting for almost 30 per cent of the overall brewing employment in the province. Ontario’s Craft Brewers’ share for premium priced brands has more than tripled since 2002, going from less than one per cent to over three per cent of the beer volume sold in Ontario and continues to be the fastest growing segment within the LCBO’s beer category. The OCB’s long term vision is to make Ontario a North American Centre of Excellence for Craft Brewing. Funding provided by the government of Ontario. Please discover responsibly.
For more information about the Ontario Craft Brewers, visit www.ontariocraftbrewers.com or follow us on Twitter @OntCraftBrewers (#ocbweek) or Facebook www.facebook.com/OntarioCraftBrewers
