"How an Ontario brewery is doing things differently"
We are super appreciative of this Toronto Star feature. Thank-you Shawna Wagman for the write up - and to everyone who is supporting small business during this tumultuous time. This is a nice reminder for us as a team to step back and appreciate what we're creating in the midst of the whirlwind that has been the last year!
Shout out to Pleasant Valley Hops and Barn Owl Malt who are making our vision come true with their top notch ingredients.
‘Pairs well with not taking life too seriously’: How an Ontario brewery is doing things differently
When Mallory Jones, Jessica Nettleton and Justin da Silva landed on the name Matron for their Bloomfield, Ont.-based brewery, it checked all the boxes. “We wanted to have a strong, feminine name,” says da Silva, “It’s also a shout-out to those who look after others.”
The three friends were working in the beer industry in Kingston before quitting their jobs in 2019 to realize their wouldn’t-it-be-cool-one-day dream of building their own brewery. For years they’d witnessed the way the beer knowledge of the two women, while tremendous, was often overlooked. Now, in less than two years, Matron Fine Beer has become a going concern in the competitive local craft beer scene by focusing on fruity farmhouse ales, aromatic IPAs and lower-alcohol lagers — and on building a principled, grassroots business. “We decided from the beginning that we wanted to take care of the staff, the community, and the land that we’re on,” says da Silva.
Inspired by the days of farmhouse brewing, when the matriarch of the family brewed beer using whatever the farm could grow, the trio chose to plant Matron Fine Beer among the sprawling farms and vineyards of Prince Edward County. It counts two of its key brewing suppliers — Pleasant Valley Hops and Barn Owl Malt — among its neighbours.