Canada’s Beau’s All Natural goes employee owned (props)

It takes a village, and Beau’s All Natural Brewing Co. understands that. From the brewmaster to the kettle cleaner, a craft brewery depends on the commitment of its hard-working employees to keep business running successfully. What’s the ultimate way to both reward and incentivize that brew crew? Make them owners. That’s right. Make them owners, watch their minds explode and then see how hard they work to take your brand to the next level. As an employee-owned business, we raise our pints high.

Last week, Steve Beauchesne, CEO of Beau’s All Natural Brewing, Canada’s largest craft producer of organic beer, took “centre stage” in Ottawa’s ByTowne Cinema amidst the brewery’s employees to announce the news of its imminent sale under an Employee Share Ownership Plan (ESOP). How awesome is that? July 1 actually marks the brewery’s 10th birthday, so what a great way to celebrate.

“My Dad and I started Beau’s 10 years ago with the promise of making excellent, flavorful beer, and using our brewery as a force for good,” said Steve Beauchesne, CEO of Beau’s All Natural Brewing in a public statement. “Our success during this time is strongly rooted in the support of our employees and fans, who have always believed in our promise.”

Since its inception in 2006, Beau’s has experienced a compounded rate of 45 percent year-over-year growth and now employs approximately 150 full time staff. The offering of the ESOP is in keeping with Beau’s legacy as a fiercely independent, Canadian-owned and family-run operation. According to Beau’s, the employees will become co-owners and an even greater part of the Beau’s family, with shared responsibility for the brewery’s future and continued growth as it sets to expand across the country by the end of the year.