The North End business will help the brewers with their retail presence by giving them a 'Test Kitchen'

The owners of Shelburne-based brewing company Boxing Rock Brewing have entered into a partnership with Local Source Market to expand their brewing capacity.

The North End business will help the brewers with their retail presence by giving them a 'Test Kitchen' adjacent to their own catering kitchen and bakery.

There will also be a Boxing Rock Bottle Shop open at the Local Source Agricola St. location.

"I'm so excited I can't even describe it," said Emily Tipton, who co-owns Boxing Rock with Henry Pedro.

"I just had visitors -- including Stillwell and Good Robot -- checking out my set-up. This has been really nice. We've been working several months and it's great to be ready to launch."

The market in Halifax was important to further expand into, says Tipton.

"It's something we wanted to do for a long-time. Shelburne is a long way from Halifax. We love it there, but recognize a lot of our market and craft beer scene is here," she said.

"We've been looking for a way to connect to the market more directly, and this opportunity came in the North End, and loved the idea."

The Test Kitchen and bottle shop will allow Boxing Rock the opportunity to be alongside local wares.

"We have 270 sq feet coming from the catering kitchen. We also have space for a bottle shop, and we're happy to have our stuff around all the other local stuff," she said.

"The North End is the epicentre of craft beer in a lot of ways, but shared values between [Local Source Market owner] Sean and I allowed for a lot in common. I've known him a long time, since he owned Lion & Bright, and it was easy to make work."

Giving the people of Halifax further access to regular and limited release bottled products, as well as growler fills.

"A lot of this is about market conditions. As a manufacturer, I can sell from my facility, and other options are NSLC and the wine stores. The way the craft beer market is, there's been less and less space. Distribution is a challenge," she said.

"The variety we make is big, and finding a place to make those offerings available was important. We've now created better access for our biggest market."

The ideas of locally sourced product and sustainable food sources are ingrained in both companies, making it easy for them to connect.

"We are both clients of FarmWorks, and we have had money loaned for packaging equipment, so by knowing we're both doing the same thing indicates our commitment to the local economy," she said.

"We want to grow Nova Scotia through local food and the contribution that makes to the economy."

The grand opening will be on Sept. 1, and Tipton can't wait to share what they have to offer.

"We are really looking forward to it. We are excited to expand our community. We are very much part of Shelburne, and want to become a part of this community too."