It takes passion and skill to start a craft brewing operation – and in Chemainus, they’re having a riot building a new marketplace for homegrown ale.
Former Vancouverite Aly Tomlin, one of the first female brewers in the industry, and long-time friend Ralf Rosenke decided in 2010 to take the leap and chase their dream of starting their own brewing company. After overcoming multiple obstacles and acquiring a new business partner, Morgan Moreira, everything came together for the grand opening of Riot Brewery Co in Chemainus in November 2016.
In just under two years, the brewery has built a reputation both locally and internationally. Most recently, Riot Brewing earned a gold and a bronze in the 2018 World Beer Cup making them the only Canadian business to receive two awards in this competition.
Aly, Ralf and Morgan never started the business for monetary gain or recognition. Their goals are built around customer service, providing a good product and becoming part of the community.
“Integrity, staying true to ourselves and community involvement have always been the most important thing to us” explains Ralf.
Riot Brewery hosts a number of ongoing community events, sits on the board of various community groups and continually looks for new opportunities to collaborate. They believe their success should be shared and celebrated with the local community.
