A New Westminster-based winery will be expanding the range and scale of its wine production.
Pacific Breeze Urban Winery recently merged with Revelation Cellars to increase production and build a second urban winery in Vancouver. The award-winning winery, located on Stewardson Way, produces both B.C. VQA wines and wines made from grapes imported from California’s Napa and Sonoma valleys and Washington State.
“Pacific Breeze already makes some of the finest wines in North America, and we were very impressed to see how their winemakers have sourced grapes from some of the best vineyards in the world, to produce wines that are truly unique in Canada,” Revelation CEO Bob Fraser said in a press release. “Our intention is to invest in that already fine product and combine it with our own marketing model to greatly increase their sales and revenues.”
Revelation Cellars and Pacific Breeze signed an agreement in August to merge the companies under the Revelation banner. Under the terms of the agreement, Revelation will take over operation of the winery, while the founders of Pacific Breeze will join Revelation as partners. The press release stated that a core aspect of the agreement is the intention to expand the range and the scale of the new company’s wine production.
“By joining forces with Revelation, we can produce wines that express the local terroir from regions around the world,” said Pacific Breeze co-founder Maurice Hamilton. “Imagine a Malbec made here in Canada, with grapes accessed from a premiere vineyard in Argentina, or a Bordeaux-style wine made with grapes we brought in from France.”
The company is currently raising $6.2 million to help finance its expansion in New Westminster and Vancouver, with the goal of increasing production to 10,000 cases per year in 2018. Pacific Breeze Winery, which has been in operation since 2005 and released its first vintage in 2007, was founded as a small-scale craft winery with production averaging 3,000 cases per year.
Key West Ford helps address hunger
There’s nothing scary about Key West Ford’s commitment to helping combat childhood hunger.
Key West Ford recently held its We Scare Hunger campaign to raise funds and food for the food bank. Employees delivered more than 6,000 pounds of food to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society, after raising $10,650 in the campaign.
How much food is that? Enough to fill 10 bins at the food bank’s warehouse. It took two hours for a team of people to unload.
Key West Ford invited its employees, customers and community members to bring non-perishable food items into the dealership and to make donations through a GoFundMe page. Key West Ford also matched all employee donations dollar for dollar.
Former Canucks goalie Kirk McLean and former New Westminster mayor Wayne Wright dropped by the dealership to celebrate the campaign’s success with Key West employees.
New West businesses nominated for provincial awards
A number of New West businesses were recently nominated for Small Business B.C. Awards.
Small Business B.C. and the Insurance Bureau of Canada are presenting the 14th annual awards, which will be given out in a number of categories, including Premier’s People’s Choice, Best Apprenticeship Training, Best Community Impact, Best Company, Best Concept, Best Employer, Best Immigrant Entrepreneur, Best Innovation, Best International Trade and Best Marketer.
Several New Westminster businesses were nominated, with two companies being nominated in two different categories. While they didn’t make it into the Top 10, kudos to these businesses for their nominations:
* Fairbairn Inspection Services – Premier’s People Choice.
* Royal Printers – Best Community Impact.
* Mindful Mutts – Best Concept and Premier’s People’s Choice.
* Rock Steady Boxing New West at Zhoosh Fitness Garage – Premier’s People’s Choice and Best Community Impact.
* B.C.’s Guide to Arts and Culture – Best Community Impact.
* Bloom Bloom Room – Best Company.
