British Columbians are known to have the most sophisticated craft beer palate in the country, not to mention a strong fondness for wine. Armed with this factoid, owner Sandra Croney and manager Michael Druce of Port Moody's Beyond the Grape, expanded their business in the spring of 2014 and introduced their winemaking customers to the revolution of craft beer and the microbrewing movement.
The concept to combine small-scale suds and the hands-on winemaking experience was as appealing as it was logical from a business perspective. "We needed to adapt our business model to meet the demands of a growing craft beer industry," says Michael. "We've blossomed into one of four or five stores in Greater Vancouver that specialize in craft beer making ingredients."
With a background in the hospitality industry, primarily performing concierge duties at some of Vancouver's A-list hotels, it was a seamless transition for Michael to settle into a business amid libations with a creative bent. "It's a lot of fun and I have a passion for both beverages, although comparatively, it's much more complex to build the recipes for beer — there's more leeway to play around with ingredients."
