Buck a beer not feasible for small producers, Sudbury microbrewery says
Ford’s plan may work for large-scale breweries, but microbreweries would feel the pinch
The owner and president of Stack Brewing in Sudbury says the premier's plan to lower the cost of beer isn't feasible for small breweries.
This week, Premier Doug Ford announced he will introduce legislation to lower the minimum price of beer to $1, down from $1.25.
Ford said the buck-a-beer plan will be in place by the Labour Day weekend.
But Shawn Mailloux of Sudbury's Stack Brewing says he's questioning who Ford talked to before announcing this plan.
"I think this is more like a news release for himself," Mailloux said. "Like it's something Trump south of the border would say...without the proper information behind it."
Mailloux said Stack would lose money if they were to lower the price to a dollar a bottle.
"To be able to get my margins to a place where [buck a beer was feasible]....I'd probably have to be five or ten times larger than I am," Mailloux said. "It's not something I can entertain unfortunately."
On Facebook, the New Ontario Brewing Company, based in North Bay, said it has no interest in making beer they could afford to sell for a dollar.
"There is no way for us to do it without compromising on ingredients, process and quality," the company said. "It is for this reason, that we will not be making 'buck a beer.'"