$2 M investment: Brasserie Olten inaugurates brewing facilities in Saint-Hyacinthe

Brasserie Olten, a subsidiary of Bilboquet Microbrasserie inc., inaugurated its production facilities in Saint-Hyacinthe’s Olivier-Chalifoux industrial park today.

With more than 10,000 square feet, the new brewing plant is located in the new agri-food business incubator that opened a few days ago on Choquette Boulevard. The $2 M investment went into purchasing several pieces of specialized equipment that will be used to brew and bottle Le Bilboquet products, as well as a new line of products sold under the Olten brand.

The result of the company’s research and development efforts, Olten beers are certified gluten-free, low in calories and low in alcohol content (max. 4% alc./vol.). They will be sold in cans. Several flavours will be available in the coming months, including fruity beers.

Brasserie Olten’s president and general manager, François Grisé, said: “Opening a second plant in Saint-Hyacinthe will increase our production capacity and allow us to brew new products while meeting our annual sales goals. The support we received from Saint-Hyacinthe Technopole and the opportunity offered by an incubator where we could share resources with other businesses in our sector opened the door to this major investment. We are now aiming for nothing less than becoming one of the biggest microbreweries in Quebec.”

The director general of Saint-Hyacinthe Technopole, André Barnabé, congratulated the company’s management and team members on this investment. “Another major industrial investment has been made in Saint-Hyacinthe. The quality of Bilboquet Microbrasserie’s products, the drive of its team members and the effectiveness of its marketing have made it a well-known and liked brand in Quebec. This solid foundation will ensure the success of its new Olten products. Having this new plant in Saint-Hyacinthe will contribute to our region’s reputation as an agri-food centre.”

The new plant has an annual production capacity of 10,000 hectolitres. It will namely allow the company to distribute its products throughout North America, including its more than 800 points of sale in Quebec.

In addition to generating this major investment, the project created a dozen new jobs in Saint-Hyacinthe. It was made possible thanks to financial support from BMO, Canada Economic Development, the Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec and the MRC des Maskoutains’s Fonds FLI-FLS (FTQ).