Alumni Adapting in the Face of Adversity
As members of the Cape Breton University Alumni family, we have characteristics in common. Perseverance, tenacity, grit — to name just a few. In the face of adversity, some members of our Alumni family in the Cape Breton community are adapting. One Alumnus. Andrew Morrow and his business partner, Bryan MacDonald, co-owners of Breton Brewing Company are doing just that.
The last time we featured Alumni-owned Breton Brewing Co. was the summer of 2017, just after opening their brewery. A lot has changed in that time.
“We’ve seen a lot of changes over the past few years at Breton Brewing. Our markets have expanded outside of Nova Scotia to include Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba,” comments Andrew Morrow, co-owner. “Nova Scotia has remained our strongest market, and we are constantly working on expanding our reach into new restaurants and new programs through the NSLC.”
When it started to become clear that COVID-19 was going to impact our country in a serious way, Breton Brew and their team were quick to find ways to re-structure their business.
“As the Covid-19 situation evolved rapidly, we followed suit and starting planning immediately. We knew it was a possibility that what we were seeing happen could seriously affect our business,” says Andrew. “At Breton Brewing, we have an amazing team that has innovative minds. The most significant change we made was to introduce online shopping and home delivery of our beer.”
All across the CBRM, both regular and new customers have been ordering their Breton Brew online and waiting for the big Black Angus truck to pull into their driveways for a “no contact” drop off.
"I've been a supporter of Breton Brewing from the beginning. They are a great group of people, from bar staff to brewers and owners, and I really like supporting them. Going to the brewery is always a fun time and certainly a great social event. When they offered home delivery during self-isolation, I decided to take them up on the offer. It meant I did not need to travel to a store. When I saw their truck pull up, I felt like a kid at Christmas time. To add to the scene, it helps that it was a snowy day! This service is so helpful during these times, and I'd highly recommend it."
"A group of us started a Beer Run Friday four years ago, which brings the running community together for a run and a beer at Breton Brewing. It is such a great social time with our running friends. We have not been able to get together as a group at the brewery, so we started a virtual meet. Everyone runs alone, and then we meet to have a beer. It is the highlight of the week as it gets us together for social interaction during this difficult time.”
- Herbie Sakaluskas.
“We want to sincerely thank all our customers and our new customers for thinking local and supporting our business,” says Bryan MacDonald, co-owner of Breton Brewing. “We applaud all Nova Scotians for staying home to help flatten the curve so that we may all get back to our regular lives as soon as possible. Breton Brewing Company will continue to bring you our products so that you and your family can stay safe during this unprecedented time. Stay safe everyone!”
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