OTTAWA -- When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Ottawa, local craft brewery Beyond the Pale had to change the way they do beer business.
"We're down over 30 per cent, which has been a challenge,” says co-owner Rob McIsaac.
The company had to furlough two thirds of their staff and shut down the taproom, which is where they make most of their money. They have also lost a lot of income that would normally come from the bar and restaurant industry.
The brewery is having a hard time demonstrating a loss of revenue to the government with such a seasonal business, making it difficult to qualify for any emergency subsidies.
McIsaac says, "The biggest challenge for us is that we’ve fallen through the cracks with the wage subsidy. It looks like we're going to fall through the cracks with the rent relief as well."
One positive note for the company, McIsaac says, is they are still able to manage to make some income from door to door delivery and curbside pickup of beer.
"We're doing a pickup window," he says. "It's been a huge pivot for our business to shift from what we were doing to where we are now."
McIsaac says it's been difficult, but he's grateful to still have a job and a chance to make a product that people love.
"A bunch of our staff are sitting at home. We have a bunch of friends who have businesses who have zero revenue. So for us, we're at least thankful that we have some channels and some avenue to still earn some money," he says.
For now, Beyond the Pale will continue to operate with fewer staff, and deliver beer to their customers as best they can but, like everyone else, McIsaac says he hopes to be back to normal when it is safe to do so.
