Oakville’s Cameron’s Brewing Company was among the businesses that celebrated Ontario’s Craft Beer Week, earlier this month, with a healthy grant courtesy of the provincial and federal governments.

The local brewery received $150,960 as part of a federal/provincial investment that saw $1.6 million in funding directed into 42 projects at 20 craft breweries.

Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn talked about the initiative during a tour of the Cameron’s Invicta Drive facility on Friday (June 24).

“Growing Forward 2 is a grant that is being made available to agri-food businesses, including craft brewers, that allows folks like Cameron’s to expand product lines, to innovate and to do the sort of things that we really know are going to grow the agri-food sector,” said Flynn.

“It is wonderful to be able work with a federal government that is listening to what Ontario is asking for. What we have been asking for is a partnership and we finally have that in place.... That’s the only way you get funds like this going, is when the two levels of government are working together.”

Oakville MP John Oliver also attended the tour and talked about the federal government’s decision to fund craft breweries.

“We’re very keen in investing in innovative companies,” said Oliver.

“The craft brewery industry in Ontario has been doing some very significant business. I think there is almost 1,500 people employed in the craft brewery industries right now. They’ve done nearly $70 million in sales (last year at the LCBO). It’s a great group of companies to be working with and at the very peak of that is Cameron’s Brewing.”

Bill Coleman, Cameron’s Brewing Company president, said his business has already started spending the $150,960 on launching a canned version of their product.

“Tallboy cans, the 473 ml cans, are the fastest growing segment in the LCBO. They are growing near 48 per cent of sales at the LCBO and they’re growing 45 per cent compounded per year. So, it is incredible,” said Coleman.