They won't survive this
Blair Berdusco, executive director of the Alberta Small Brewers Association, says most of the breweries in Alberta are young businesses, and the pandemic didn’t help them grow, as costs went up about 30 per cent in the last two years.
“As we’re coming out of COVID, we see an average of of about 30 per cent inflation costs on breweries,” Berdusco said.
She adds though the government lowered the tax on alcohol to 2 per cent, the tax, which she calls the inflation cost, might increase by April 2024.
Berdusco encourages Albertans to support local businesses.
“Alberta breweries face a unique market in that anyone else who wants to sell in Alberta from outside of our borders is welcome to do so. It’s a simple process, but Alberta manufacturers being able to get into other provinces, can be very, very challenging,” she said.