Brewing up success in Invermere

One of Invermere's newest business, namely the Arrowhead Brewing Company, has been up and running since early this spring

Invermere's newest business, the Arrowhead Brewing Company.

One of Invermere's newest business, namely the Arrowhead Brewing Company, has been up and running since early this spring. The new company is owned and operated by Columbia Valley residents Michelle and Jared Babich and Shawn and Leanne Tegart.

The brewery is located across the street from Kicking Horse Coffee in the Athalmer business park. The staff at this new business hope to capitalize on a growing trend favouring micro-breweries across the west. Other Kootenay micro-breweries have proven popular in Nelson, Revelstoke and Fernie.

Micro-breweries are actually bucking a sliding trend that large beer producers have been experiencing lately. Though larger multi-national beer companies are struggling to increase or maintain market share, many micro-breweries are on a growth track.

Craft beer is a growth industry in B.C. Over the past five years, micro-brewers’ sales through the Liquor Distribution Branch (through which all beer flows) have doubled from about $56 million in 2007 to $111.5 million in the 12 months ended March 2011. And beer drinkers are increasingly swapping their Labatts and Molsons for local brews: micro-breweries’ slice of the beer pie in B.C. has grown from 6.4 per cent in March 2007, to 12.7 per cent as of March this year, states a report in BC Business magazine.

It looks like Arrowhead Brewery Company's timing couldn't be better.