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Published by Leonardo Calcagno
Presented x Mondial de la Bière [June 14-18, 2017 – Montréal]
Who are you:
Paul Meek
Your current job:
President and Owner of Kichesippi Beer Co.
In which city are you located?
Ottawa
A word to define what kind of worker you are:
cooperative
What tools are essential to your life (app, software, etc..)
Quickbooks, Twitter, KegShoe
What does your office space look like?
desk at the brewery with no papers on it. Home office is complete chaos
How large is the brewery?
7500 sq ft
The reason you started brewing?
My job experience includes selling for Keiths, Sleeman, Pepsi, Labatt, and Smirnoff. I felt I had learned enough to start our own brewery
What was the inspiration behind your brewery?
Kichesippi means the Great River and it is what the Algonquin Indians called the river, that would eventually be named the Ottawa River. Our brewery takes inspiration from the history of Ottawa and the Ottawa River. We brew balanced global styles to be enjoyed locally
What are the biggest challenges for you as a brewer in Ontario?
Logistics is the biggest challenge these days. Shipping product to restaurants, LCBO stores, Beer Stores and grocery stores can be an expensive process and we need to make sure we don’t use all of our profit margins getting our product to the customer destination
What kind of music do you listen to when you are working?
In the office, I don’t have music on.
Do you have a way to organize your days to optimize your work?
Monday and Friday I mostly work from the home office to avoid distractions. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday the team knows that I am available at the brewery or to meet with customers.
What tips would you give to improve productivity?
Don’t be afraid to say no to an opportunity if you know that it does not make sense for your business and your brand.
What is the best advice anyone has given you?
get a good lawyer and an accountant so that you can focus on selling
What is your routine start and end of the day?
Start – I will check email, social media and my calendar before I get in the shower and get dressed.End of the Day – this is not as structured, but I will always commit some time to the home office after dinner each evening.
Aside from your computer and your phone, what gadget can you not you go without?
no others, I have almost everything I need on my smartphone
3 Ontario craft beers that we must try?
Tooth and Nail Pilsner, Granite Brewery Peculiar, Side Launch Wheat
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start a brewery?
Don’t start off with multiple beers when you launch. Decide on your flagship brand and perfect that in the beginning, then start introducing other styles.
www.facebook.com/kichesippibeer
Twitter and instagram – @kichesippibeer
