ALMA – Entrepreneur Kiriane Mailloux becomes co-owner of the Lion Bleu microbrewery on rue Saint-Joseph in downtown Alma. Already employed by the SME for three years, the businesswoman intends to further push the corporate contract component as well as the broadcasting of shows.
“Pierre Harvey, one of the co-owners and founders of the brewing company, wanted to retire. He then held 60% of the shares of the SME and his business partner David Otis owned 40%. Being the spouse of Mr. Otis and an employee very involved in the company, we have agreed to take over all of Mr. Harvey’s shares together. We started the buyout process in November 2021 and next Friday we will formalize the transaction with the notary,” says Kiriane Mailloux, who now owns 40% of the SME.
The entrepreneur specifies that the negotiations as well as the various steps taken during the takeover went smoothly. “Pierre Harvey will no longer work at the microbrewery, but he will remain a leading mentor to guide me in my new tasks. Indeed, I recover his my wing the sales department. A new challenge that is added to my current functions which are the management of the bar and the development of marketing strategies. This entrepreneurial initiative means a lot to me, it is an investment in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Luckily, I was able to count on partners such as the Corporation d’innovation et développement Alma — Lac-Saint-Jean-Est (CIDAL), Investissement Québec and Desjardins. »
Brewing for the corporate
As microbreweries pile up on grocery shelves, brewing industry players need to find additional distribution channels to sell their stock. The Blue Lion team therefore decided to invest in a new niche by turning to a corporate clientele. Indeed, the brewery has decided to open its tanks to personalized requests.
“Lately, we made special brews for the Country Festival of the municipality of Labrecque and for the company Proco. These customers buy existing beers from us or get involved in the development of a unique product. It is a personalized service where we also take care of the design of the rods and the integration of the client’s logo on the containers. This is a service where demand is growing. Moreover, our order book is already filling up for the holiday season. For an employer, it is always interesting to offer its employees a quality product, which also displays its brand image,” explains Kiriane Mailloux, who adds that a minimum of 1,200 liters must be purchased during these agreements.
Revitalize the city center
The city center of Alma with Sacré-Coeur street, its hotels, bars, restaurants and its promenade along the Petite Décharge enjoys strong tourist potential. However, the Almatois and Almatoises seem to be abandoning the sector which is gradually looking like an abandoned district. “I want to do my part to bring life back to our downtown, which I find magnificent. The last years of the pandemic have been catastrophic in terms of the broadcasting of cultural events and I want to bring this point to the fore. This fall, we will start broadcasting music shows again and we are also partners of the Alma Comedy Festival,” concludes the new shareholder.
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