Beer and Beef, a Love Story

Since opening their doors back in 2002, Mill Street has become a household name for beer enthusiasts and casual sippers alike. As one of the pioneers of the craft beer landscape in Canada, Mill Street continues to innovate and lead the way in the beer space. Mill Street was the first brewery in Ontario to produce an all-organic beer, with their flagship Original Organic Lager first hitting shelves back in 2002. They’ve continued to push the boundaries of brewing, adding a variety of organic styles to their core lineup over the years. Their  focus on Canadian ingredients, sustainability and truly celebrating Canadian agriculture are ideals we share. When Mill Street reached out to us to forge a partnership between both brands, it was a no-brainer.

As a growing start-up, being approached by a brand as well known as Mill Street seemed almost overwhelming at first. But from the first time we sat down with them, we realized the similarities were more abundant than we ever could have imagined. A common, grounding thread is that both Mill Street and truLOCAL are deeply passionate about Canadian agriculture, placing a heavy emphasis on supporting our local family farms. This foundational theme of bringing incredible Canadian producers to the dinner tables (and beer glasses) of local consumers is what has allowed both companies to thrive as pioneers in their respective industries. truLOCAL was the first small-order meat delivery service in a space that is experiencing rapid growth and expansion, revolutionizing the way that Canadian consumers interact with sourcing local meat products.

The team at Mill Street can relate – being one of the pioneers of the Canadian organic food chain, they were able to convince their malting partner in Thunder Bay to get their organic certification, enabling Mill Street and later other craft breweries to source organic barley directly from the Canadian prairies. You’ll find the Canada Organic logo proudly displayed on many of Mill Street’s products signifying that a third-party certifier guarantees organic processes and quality standards are being met every step of the way. Having a transparent, traceable supply chain matters – knowing exactly where and how ingredients are grown and handled on their journey from the farm is another belief  both truLOCAL and Mill Street share passionately.
 

Both of our teams are full of driven, hard-working individuals who really do whatever it takes to see our brands succeed. From the moment we first sat down with the team at Mill Street, we knew we were amongst peers – people who see and execute on a vision the same way that we do. People who understand that Canadians shouldn’t have to go out of their way to support local, or to trust the high quality of what they’re consuming. Bringing these two iconic Canadian brands together to pair delicious, locally sourced meats with equally delicious, locally sourced beer is a dream come true. Beer and meat already make a perfect match – and it just got a whole lot better.

Quality matters. Grit matters. Being unequivocally committed to raising up Canadian producers, and making Canadian agriculture the centre of a couple of local businesses run by passionate and energetic teams, matters. And we’re so, so excited to be part of it.

Posted on May 8th, 2019