What started as a food truck in Fort McMurray, is turning into Kelowna乌鸦传媒檚 newest brewery.
Back in 2015, Kelowna乌鸦传媒檚 Liam Mitchell was working on a construction site in Fort McMurray, where a women named Crystal Cain, who was also just working in the town at the time, was running a food truck called 乌鸦传媒楾he Grub Wagon乌鸦传媒�. The two met, got married, bought the food truck for themselves and moved to Mitchell乌鸦传媒檚 Kelowna home while continuing to operate the food truck. 乌鸦传媒楾he Wagon乌鸦传媒� has been a staple at the Kelowna乌鸦传媒檚 Farmers Market since 2018.
On top of the food truck, Mitchell operates his own plumbing company in Kelowna but since the start of 2022, they乌鸦传媒檝e had the idea to expand and pursue their dream into opening a brewery.
乌鸦传媒淲e were having to divide my time between helping operate the food truck business and my plumbing company and I was sort of falling out of love with plumbing,乌鸦传媒� said Mitchell. 乌鸦传媒淚 needed to start to think about a decision to make a career shift.乌鸦传媒�
Mitchell started looking at commercial real estate in Kelowna in Jan. 2022 for a place where he could have a kitchen with a small area to use as plumbing shop as well. After looking for more than six months, he had trouble finding a place because of bigger companies buying properties with knock-down clauses because they plan on building apartment buildings in the future.
乌鸦传媒淥nce I saw the writing on the wall, I realized it wasn乌鸦传媒檛 going to be as easy as I thought to just jump in,乌鸦传媒� said Mitchell. 乌鸦传媒淚 already made the decision that something was going to happen, and I kind of always had the idea that someday, maybe, I would turn the space into a brewery. I乌鸦传媒檝e been home brewing for a couple years now and it乌鸦传媒檚 one of those things where I wanted to pursue my dream job.乌鸦传媒�
He ultimately decided to leave the plumbing shop area of the space behind and look for a place to build a brewery. The idea of having everyone all together in one direction was important to the family as well, instead of running between his plumbing company and the food truck.
In August, they were able to lock down their location at 105-1111 Gordon Drive. 乌鸦传媒溛谘淮綔It was a shoebox with a bathroom in it,乌鸦传媒� said Mitchell.
The space helps extend Kelowna乌鸦传媒檚 brewery district further east as it乌鸦传媒檚 down the road from Railside Brewing, which opened last August.
乌鸦传媒淚 think we乌鸦传媒檙e pretty fortuitous that Railside opened up before us because it乌鸦传媒檚 always good to have brewery neighbours,乌鸦传媒� said Mitchell. 乌鸦传媒淲e have good neighbours right in our building.乌鸦传媒�
Around the same time, one of the other units in the building was leased to become a plant store, which opened recently. The area is growing, as Mitchell told Capital News a tattoo shop is also opening beside the brewery.
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While in the process of finding a place, they had the food truck open throughout the summer, which is entirely vegetarian and vegan, something they plan on keeping at the brewery.
乌鸦传媒淭he Wagon is [vegan and vegetarian] so we乌鸦传媒檇 be foolish to abandon the following that we乌鸦传媒檝e amassed with the food truck,乌鸦传媒� said Mitchell. 乌鸦传媒淭o my knowledge, I乌鸦传媒檝e been to a lot of breweries in the province but haven乌鸦传媒檛 been to one that乌鸦传媒檚 vegan or vegetarian, there乌鸦传媒檚 definitely a nich茅 market there.乌鸦传媒�
Mitchell and Cain eat mostly plant-based foods and live by the mantra 乌鸦传媒榚at more plants乌鸦传媒�.
As for a name, 乌鸦传媒楾he Wagon乌鸦传媒� name won乌鸦传媒檛 continue. The brewery will be named Buffalo Rouge Brewing, and there乌鸦传媒檚 a couple reasons behind it.
Something Mitchell and Cain have adopted in their life is the buffalo because they met in Fort McMurray, which is known as the municipality of the Wood Buffalo. Because of that, they buy each other buffalo-related gifts and art and even each have a buffalo tattoo. Then one day, one of Cain乌鸦传媒檚 friends called Mitchell 乌鸦传媒楶apa Rouge乌鸦传媒� because of his red hair. His plumbing company was also called 乌鸦传媒楻ed Giant Mechanical乌鸦传媒�.
乌鸦传媒淲e just sort of merged the two together,乌鸦传媒� said Mitchell. 乌鸦传媒淥ver the years of talking about a name, we decided that乌鸦传媒檚 what it乌鸦传媒檚 going to be. It stuck and it had a nice ring to it.乌鸦传媒�
The couple乌鸦传媒檚 goal is to have the brewery open in the spring. 乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檙e going to keep the pedal to the medal here,乌鸦传媒� said Mitchell.
Mitchell has been homebrewing for a couple years and plans on having a little bit of everything at the establishment.
乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檙e planning on having a bit of a mix of traditional craft beer offerings as well as experimental and seasonal beers that we乌鸦传媒檒l rotate,乌鸦传媒� said Mitchell, who loves making hazy IPA beers the most. 乌鸦传媒淚 like making beers for occasions. The seasonality of brewing is important. If there乌鸦传媒檚 something big or important in our lives or coming up for the brewery or the city, we乌鸦传媒檒l have specific beers for those purposes.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檙e trying to live our family mom-and-pop shop fantasy,乌鸦传媒� said Mitchell. 乌鸦传媒淚t seems like the universe wants this to happen. It乌鸦传媒檚 nice to set down roots here.乌鸦传媒�
READ MORE: Lower Mainland brewery expanding to Lake Country
jordy.cunningham@kelownacapnews.com
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