![['A cream ale that has corn and rice adjuncts and is lightly bittered with Willamette hops is one of Cormack-based Crooked Feeder Brewing Co.’s initial beers.']](https://saltwire.imgix.net/ws-06-11082017-microbreweries-glass-dc.jpg?cs=srgb&fit=crop&h=568&w=847&dpr=1&auto=enhance%2Cformat%2Ccompress)
DEER LAKE, N.L.
Two Humber Valley breweries have been able to expand their businesses with funding under the province’s business development support program.
Rough Waters Brewing Co. in Deer Lake has been approved to received $75,588, to match the company’s contribution, toward implementation of business and market development activities.
That includes assisting with website improvement, increased social media activity, modern booth displays, certifications and the launch of new specialty brewed products.
Owned and operated by Christopher Johnson, the microbrewery currently produces four varieties of handcrafted beer made from all-natural ingredients such as water, yeast, grain and hops, with no added preservatives.
In a news release from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation, Johnson said the program has allowed the business to be more visible and expand its offering.
“As result of this support, we have been able to produce more specialty releases and our product is more economically viable. It allowed us to get branded boxes and merchandise, and we are currently in the process of adding signage that will give the Rough Waters Brewing Co. brand more visibility in the market.”
The Crooked Feeder Brewing Co. in Cormack knows what the provincial support means.
The company, established by Robert Sutton, Ray Brake and Corey Wight, received a $90,000 business investment loan in 2018 to assist with purchasing equipment and to provide working capital for start-up costs.
The company’s craft beer is available throughout the West Coast, and the company has expanded with a gastropub in Corner Brook.
Brake said the department’s business investment program enabled the company to obtain the financing it needed to get started.
Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation Minister Bernard Davis recently visited both breweries and said small businesses like Rough Waters and Crooked Feeder are important contributors to the province’s economy.
“By using our government’s business development programs, we are able to support small businesses with their efforts to develop new products and offer a wider range of amenities and attractions to experience.”
