The award-winning Riot Brewing Company in Chemainus is making a comeback thanks to an anonymous investor.
The brewery, which opened in 2016, experienced meteoric success in its first couple years, earning it a myriad of prestigious accolades including bronze and gold medals at the 2018 World Beer Cup Awards in Nashville, TN.
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In recent months, however, Riot Brewing has been the subject of much speculation after stock began running out and operations all but screeched to a halt.
It would seem that instant success had not come without its drawbacks.
The owners claim a lack of preparation for managing rapid growth, coupled with significant product losses following last winter’s power outages, led to serious cash flow problems.
“We struggled personally, financially and emotionally; we had no plan for dealing with these hurdles,” said co-owner Alyson Tomlin.
“But we stayed positive, sought out expert help and started clawing our way back.”
To facilitate the initial launch of the brewery, Tomlin, along with business partner Ralf Rosenke, attracted start-up investors through good-old-fashioned conversation.
Following this same recipe, the duo has once again achieved success by converting a loyal customer into vital new investor; and just in the nick of time.
“I had never dreamed of investing in a brewery” said the investor, who has requested to remain anonymous.
“When stopping in for a quick beer one day, I started chatting with Aly (Tomlin) and I learned about the financial difficulties they were experiencing. I decided to call my investment partner and the rest is history.”
Riot Brewing Co. is now back in full-scale production.
As products once again start hitting the shelves in local beer and wine stores, the brewery’s tenacious and unconventional entrepreneurs say they couldn’t be more grateful for the unwavering and overwhelming community support.