Northern Breweries
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Northern Breweries | |
|---|---|
| Northern Breweries logo | |
| Location | Sudbury, Ontario, Canada |
| Owner(s) | Leo Schotte |
| Year opened | 1907 in Sudbury |
| Active beers | |
| Northern Cream Ale | Cream Ale |
| Northern Premium Lager | Lager |
| Northern Premium Light | Lager |
| Northern Extra Light | Pale Lager |
| Red Maple | Lager |
| Wolfgang's German Style | Ale |
Northern Breweries was a Canadian brewery, with facilities in Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
The company was established in Sudbury in 1907 as Sudbury Brewing and Malting Co. by J. J. Doran, a hotelier. It began to expand in 1911, with the purchase of the Soo Falls Brewing Co. in Sault Ste. Marie, and again in 1913 with the acquisition of Kakabeka Falls Brewing Co. in Fort William.
In 1919, the company established its Doran's Brewery division in Timmins, and in 1948 it acquired the Port Arthur Beverage Co. in Port Arthur.
All of the individual breweries operated under their original names until 1960. In that year, all of the brewing operations were consolidated under one management, relinquishing their previous names and becoming known as Doran's Northern Breweries.
On August 31, 1971 the company was purchased by Canadian Breweries, although it continued to operate under the name Doran's Northern Breweries. In July of 1977, the Doran's employees purchased the company back from Canadian Breweries, and Northern became the first employee-owned brewing cooperative in North America.
In 1979, the brewery began marketing its beers in Southern Ontario as well.
In 2004, the company was purchased by an investment group led by Leo Schotte. Leo Schotte hired a veteran of the brewery business in Canada, Mr. William Sharpe as president. In 2005, the company announced a major rebranding effort, retiring many of its old products in favour of more modern brews and brand identities.
In 2006 questions were raised at Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie city councils about tax benefits extended to Northern Breweries and whether the brewery was meeting the conditions of the agreement. One of the conditions was increased hiring at the breweries and there was no evidence that this had taken place. In June, 2006, William Sharpe appeared before Sault Ste. Marie city council and cited poor sales and lack of investor interest as reasons for the downturn in the company's fortunes. The brewery is $7 million in debt and has virtually ceased production at the Sudbury facility.
Sharpe left the company in July of 2006.
Northern Breweries products are no longer being manufactured, although proposals to revive the company with new investors have recently been publicized in the media.
