HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2016-06-09, Page 10PAGE 10. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016.
Cowbell Brewing breaks ground at future site
Not your average groundbreaking
Blyth Cowbell Brewing Company is trying to do a lot of things differently when it comes to
being a destination brewery. Aside from their ecologically -sound efforts to make a greener
brewery, the company decided against the typical groundbreaking, instead asking national
ploughing champion Brandon McGavin to plough the land using an antique tractor on Monday.
(Denny Scott photo)
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
With a sold -out product and the
official groundbreaking ceremony in
the books, things seem to be going
according to plan for the Blyth
Cowbell Brewery Company.
The groundbreaking was held on
Monday morning and forwent the
typical line of stakeholders holding a
shovel and instead featured
Canadian Senior Ploughing
Champion and Walton native
Brandon McGavin turning the sod at
the site on an antique tractor.
Monday also marked the day
when the general contractors would
be mobilizing at the site for
construction to begin.
The event was held at the
company's future site at the
southeast corner of County Roads 4
and 25. Members of the Cowbell
team, as well as special guests,
spoke to the assembled crowd from
the floor of the former barn on the
site and near where the entry to the
25,000 square foot facility will
stand.
Cowbell Vice -President Grant
Sparling said that the event was large
on symbolism and very powerful for
his family.
The site is directly between the
original site of the Sparling Propane
bulk plant, built by Sparling's
grandfather Grant Sparling Sr.,
which is now the site of Huron
Tractor and the existing Sparling
Propane facility. The ground on
which the brewery will sit is a farm
that was orignally purchased by
Sparling Sr. in case Sparlings needed
to expand.
Sparling added that, 66 years after
his grandfather opened his first
business, the same land was being
used to further the family legacy. He
also mentioned that five cents for
every can sold will be donated to the
A big day
Blyth Cowbell Brewing Company had a big few days earlier this month. After having the
company's first brew, the Absent Landlord, sell out in many locations, the relatively new
brewing company held its groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the destination brewery at
the intersection of County Roads 4 and 25 on Monday morning. From left: Cowbell Vice -
President Grant Sparling, Cowbell's Genny Smith and Blyth United Church's Gary Clark.
(Denny Scott photo)
Canadian Centre for Rural
Creativity, a project under Blyth Arts
and Cultural Initiative 14/19 Inc.,
that both his grandfather and
grandmother, the late Mildred
Sparling, believed in.
The 59 acres of land will be split
into parcels for different uses with
seven acres for the structure and
parking, 23 acres for entertainment
and the on-site farm and 29 acres
reforested with the help of the
Maitland Valley Conservation
Authority. The amount of
reforestation will easily off -set the
company's carbon impact, Sparling
said.
That dedication to a greener future
isn't limited to the carbon footprint,
Sparling said, who explained the
company was planning to use one-
third the water typically used by a
brewery and having a closed-loop
water system, dealing with all
effluence in-house.
Other speakers for the event
included Cowbell's Genny Smith,
Chair of the Huron County
Economic Development Board Jim
Lynn and Blyth United Church's
Gary Clark who gave a blessing on
the site.
In an interview with The Citizen,
Sparling explained that the event
was a chance for everyone to reflect
on what had been accomplished by
the brewing company and what lay
ahead.
"We wanted it to be a more
intimate event than the First Batch
tasting," he said, speaking of a
special event held last month that
welcomed more than 1,000 people to
the Blyth Community Centre to try
the company's first brew, the Absent
Landlord. "It was sort of a moment
for us to be able to reflect and
appreciate the undertaking we are
starting."
Sparling said he was excited to
have the the people that could attend
and was very excited to have the
McGavin family, owners of
McGavin Farm Equipment in
Walton, to be a part of it.
Mention was made by speakers of
the fact that, in several locations, the
Absent Landlord brew was
completely sold -out the day after it
landed on local LCBO and agency
retailer shelves in the area.
"That response has been
incredible," Sparling said. "The
demand has far exceeded our
expectations. We're working to keep
everyone stocked but the folks
around here are very excited about
what we're up to, so that's making it
more challenging to keep it on the
shelves."
Sparling said the response from
the first batch party showed that
people in the area were excited, but
he said they didn't know how
excited they were until word of sell-
outs reached them.
"We had our own expectations for
how it would sell and the kind of
response we would get, but we were
off," he said. "We're ramping up
production to meet the demand and
we want to thank everyone for
supporting us and enjoying Absent
Landlord. We promise there is more
on the way."
Sparling further went on to say
that the mere presence of the
beverage at local retailers was a
memorable moment for him.
"It was a little surreal to be
honest," he said. "I went into the
LCBO retail store in Goderich and
it's quite a feeling to see the Cowbell
on the shelf there. They had a stack
of trays there they had just received
before I arrived and it was a great
feeling to see it there. The only
better feeling was hearing about how
people weren't just buying a can or
two but buying one, two, three or
even five cases at a time."
Brent Scrimgeour, of
Scrimgeour's Food Market, an
LCBO retail location, had purchased
10 cases, or 240 cans of the beer and
had it out for sale last Thursday. The
entire stock was sold out by the end
of the day.
He said it was exciting to have that
kind of response to something
local.
"You just don't see that kind of
passion for things that often," he
said.
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