PEI

New brewery in Gateway Village gets $725K

A new brewery and cidery is opening up in P.E.I.'s Gateway Village, at the foot of Confederation Bridge, with the help of a loan from ACOA.

Lone Oak plans to reach markets throughout Atlantic Canada

From left, P.E.I. Economic Growth Minister Matthew MacKay, Lone Oak Brewing owners Spencer Gallant, Jared Murphy, and Dillon Wight, and Malpeque MP Wayne Easter pose in front of the new brewery. (Nicole Williams/CBC)

A new brewery and cidery is opening up in P.E.I.'s Gateway Village, at the foot of Confederation Bridge in Borden-Carleton, with the help of a loan from ACOA.

Lone Oak Brewing Co. will operate out of a 4,500-square-foot space, with the goal of selling beer and cider throughout Atlantic Canada.

"We couldn't be more excited to join the thriving craft beer and cider industry in Atlantic Canada," said Lone Oak CEO Jared Murphy in a news release.

"I, along with my partners, can't thank the federal government enough for its support for our project."

ACOA has provided a $300,000 loan in support of the project. The federal agency noted from 2012 to 2017 the P.E.I. craft beer market grew more than five-fold, from 185,000 litres to more than one million litres.

During Tuesday's sitting of the legislature, Minister of Economic Growth, Tourism and Culture Matthew MacKay detailed provincial funding for the brewery.

He said the company will receive a $225,000 loan from Finance P.E.I. to help with the brewery's startup cost. 

Lone Oak also received $200,000 from the second and final round of the McCain Fund, set up after McCain's shut down its french fry processing plant in Borden-Carleton in 2014.

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With files from Nicole Williams