Long-time friends and former colleagues, Tim Duffin, left, and Stefan Horsky are now partners in Calgary’s newest microbrewery, Village Brewery. (Photo by Riley Brandt)
If you mention the names Tim Duffin or Stefan Horsky to Calgary beer aficionados, heads will nod. If you combine their years of brewing industry experience with that of their partners, you’ll get 140.
So it makes sense that these two entrepreneurs with “a love of great beer in their blood,” want to catch Calgary’s microbrewery scene up with the rest of Canada by opening a brewery of their own. Last September, they said “let’s do it” and later this year, they’ll be opening Village Brewery.
A self-confessed “beer geek,” Duffin, BComm’73, entered the industry in 2000 when he started with Calgary’s Big Rock Brewery as its CFO. Horsky, MBA’03, began with Big Rock as a line worker and climbed the ranks to become a member of the senior management team.
The pair became friends, kept in touch after leaving Big Rock and, after years of talking about it, convinced themselves they had what it takes to run a brewery.
“Engaging the right partners and team members” was a timeless lesson Horsky learned at the Haskayne School of Business that has continued to resonate throughout his career. Duffin learned the importance of balancing school and life, now work and life, long before he knew the entrepreneurial path his career would take.
It’s a competitive industry—Alberta offers more beer choices than any other jurisdiction in Canada. So while building a business plan and the team to make it happen, they’ve had to focus on how to stand out from their established competitors.
“The competition is fierce,” says Duffin, “but the timing could not be better for a small local craft brewery to enter the Calgary market. A city of over a million people deserves more choice in locally brewed beer.
“People want something tasty, something handcrafted from someone just down the street. Consumers are more knowledgeable, tastes are more sophisticated and people are ready to spend a bit more on quality products.”
Village Brewery’s artisan malt beers are made with all-natural ingredients and traditional brewing methods in small batches. To ensure freshness, their beer is packaged and served in small kegs, growlers and 330-ml bottles. In addition to their “Village Blonde,” which is brewed year-round, they’re crafting unique specialty beers on an ongoing basis.
At their brewery in Calgary’s southwest, there’ll be a taproom upstairs for tastings, special events and for those who want to stay a while and watch the brewmaster and his team work. “We believe there is as much interest these days in the handcrafted process as there is in the final product,” says Horsky.
Horsky says the partners “decided from the outset that our success should not be measured by profit alone” and they’ll be looking for ways to contribute meaningfully to the vitality of Calgary, specifically the arts scene.
“We share a common passion for great beer and for the great city we live in,” says Horsky. “Having this experience and alignment has allowed us to keep focused on the task of building a great company.”
Find the Village Brewery at 5000 12A St. S.E. in Calgary and online at www.villagebrewery.com.
