Chilliwack/Vancouver – It’s a good day for the beer business in Chilliwack. Molson Coors has confirmed that they will relocate their Vancouver/Burrard brewery to Chilliwack.
President and Chief Executive Officer Stewart Glendinning stated in their press release, “Chilliwack met all of our requirements to build a new brewery in British Columbia. “Our brewers are delighted with the quality of water in Chilliwack, a key ingredient to producing our great beers and ciders. We also appreciate work done by the City of Chilliwack and the Chilliwack Economic Partners Corporation (CEPCO), with whom we have worked together to secure this new location. We would not have been able to move forward without their active participation and support.”
After long months of detailed talks with several municipalities across B.C., Molson Coors Canada chose the 36-acre site located along Kerr Avenue in an area zoned for Agricultural Food Processing.
Chilliwack Mayor Sharon Gaetz tweeted – Sharon Gaetz @sharongaetz It’s official. Raise your glass everyone! Extending a warm welcome to Molson Coors Canada from the City of Chilliwack! #chilliwack
Chilliwack MLA John Martin on Twitter –John Martin @JohnMartinMLA It’s official!
BC Premier Christy Clark on Twitter –Christy Clark @christyclarkbc Great news for #Chilliwak and Fraser Valley jobs.
Chilliwack MP Mark Strahl tweeted –Mark Strahl, MP @markstrahl Great news as @MolsonCoors announces that their new brewery will be located in #Chilliwack! Thank you for your confidence in our community!
The WaterWealth Project posted to Facebook – Do you suppose the quality of the water had anything to do with it?
The Chilliwack Chamber of Commerce posted in a media release: The Chilliwack Chamber of Commerce welcomes Molson-Coors to our community and we are very proud of the hard work that CEPCO and the City of Chilliwack have done. Ensuring Chilliwack offers an environment to attract and secure a world class company, like Molson-Coors, really speaks to the value of CEPCO and the hard work of the City. This collaborative effort re-affirms a positive business environment in Chilliwack and we look forward to our relationship with Molson-Coors as they become part of our community.
The Molson Coors release can be found here.
Access to Highway One was a major factor in this plan for obvious transportation reasons.
Brewing operations will continue at the Burrard Street facility in Vancouver until the new brewery is built and commissioned.
That is expected to be in late 2018 or early 2019.
The Burrard site will eventually be torn down for residential construction projects.
Vice-President of Corporate Affairs at Molson Coors Gavin Thompson says it was important to stay in the province. “BC is great because you’re right on the US border but you’re also right along a coastline and you have great access into Western Canadian markets, so it really is a key point of our overall North American supply chain.”
Thompson adds it’s too early to estimate the number of people who will be working at the brewery, but the construction phase should employ about 1,000 people.
