Crossing Borders: Employee Ownership and Craft Brewing

Employee ownership has long been a feature of craft brewing in the United States, with many breweries owned in full or part by their employees (see, for example, this article on Pittsburgh's Voodoo Brewing, or Harpoon Brewery's recent NCEO Innovations Award). That trend has now crossed the border into Canada. The father-and-son owners of Beau's Brewery in Ontario announced that they will gradually transition ownership of the brewer to employees by allowing employees a choice to purchase shares. Steve Beauchesne, the son, said employee ownership is "an important way to protect the legacy of our brewery and protect our independence."