Bench Brewing Company: Case Study

Partnerships

Currently, Bench Brewing Company is brewing out of Nickel Brook Beers in Burlington while completing construction on its public school-turned-brewery in Beamsville, Ontario. Bench Brewing has the Ball’s Falls Session IPA in the LCBO and in bars across southern Ontario; in Guelph, Bench beers can be found at Baker Street Station, Brass Taps Pub at the University of Guelph, Miijidaa, and The Woolwich Arrow (“Bench Brewing”, n.d.). Bench has also publicly established itself in the local culinary scene through participation at Winterfest a local food, drink, and entertainment event, which is hosted in partnership with the City of St. Catherines, Twenty Valley Tourism Association and Visit Niagara Canada (Clock, 2017). Management of

The Twenty Valley is known for its unique cool climate wines and its hidden gems of gardens, vineyards, and views (Ballon, 2016). Bench’s terroir-driven methods must be reflected in its on-site experience to maximize visitor experience in hopes of driving new and repeat customer interactions. The experience at Bench Brewing Company should be evaluated to ensure that their strategy is feasible.

Criteria

Maintain brand

Bench could source from local producers for snacks, charcuterie, and small meals for pairing with beers in their tasting room. Partnering with other companies that are passionate about what they do can significantly boost the reputation of Bench Brewing Company. One example of a potential partner is ‘Old Angus the Pie Man’, a highly-rated pie shop in Beamsville that makes their pies fresh exclusively by hand every day (“Grimsby Lincoln News”, 2015). They would likely be interested in partnering since they have a deep level of care and commitment to their product, like Bench Brewing Company. Joint marketing and recommendation have the potential to market a product on a much wider scale (Telfer, 2001). The other breweries in the area host a variety of events in the community as well to differentiate themselves, such as yoga and brunch every Sunday at the Lock Street Brewing Company (Appendix A). Bench Brewing Company should thus, consider its networks and collaborative partnerships are of vital importance (Alonso,