A microbrewery in the Laurentians will see its beer production capacity double in the spring thanks to the good idea of its owner, also a restaurateur, to launch into the production of deli meats and pizzas at the height of the pandemic.
When COVID-19 hit in early 2020, the young Shawbridge microbrewery, located on Route 117 in Prévost, had had its brewing license for only six months and its restaurant activities were greatly affected, like those of other restaurants in Quebec, by the sanitary measures imposed by the government.
Geneviève Quessy/ QMI AGENCY
“At the start, we had little cash. We were already serving pizza in our restaurant, so when we found ourselves forced to close the dining room, we thought of making some to offer to grocery stores. We had to make the employees work and save the company,” says Hugues Néron, owner of the microbrewery.
The entrepreneur managed to obtain equipment to accelerate the entirely handmade production rate, namely machines to weigh and press the balls of pasta, and a pizza oven that came directly from Italy.
Geneviève Quessy/ QMI AGENCY
“It happened super fast! The construction sites were closed at this time because of sanitary measures, so we demolished ourselves with the employees, and transformed an office space into a pizza laboratory, ”says Mr. Néron.
Thanks to the support of grocers who showcased them in tomb freezers, Shawbridge pizzas were an immediate success. “Today, we make 3,000 pizzas a week, distributed in nearly 200 stores across the Laurentians, Estrie and Montreal. It also allowed us to create five jobs. I will always remember it, and one day I will think that pizza saved my life!” said Hugh Nero.
But that’s not all, the dynamic entrepreneur doesn’t just rely on pizza to ensure the success of his business. Thanks to an expertise acquired during a nine-year stay in France, where he managed several restaurants, Mr. Néron was also able to get into charcuterie. Thus, customers of the Shawbridge microbrewery can enjoy a beer while watching the hams, sausages and even the Grison des Laurentides, a dried beef charcuterie similar to the Grisons meat produced in Switzerland, dry.
“Because of the protected geographical indication, we couldn’t call it Grisons meat, so we invented Grison des Laurentides!” he said.
Its products are also offered in the small store adjoining the microbrewery located near the old Shawbridge station, so near the popular P’tit train du Nord trail, which ensures a good clientele.
In a few months, the expansion of the plant, made possible by the profitability of this diversification of the company’s activities, will therefore allow the latter to double its beer production, currently 3,000 hectoliters per year, forecasts Hugues Néron, who also owns the restaurant Saint Sau, in Saint-Sauveur, also in the Laurentians.