Kichesippi Beer Co., an Ottawa craft brewery opened in 2010, will shut down on March 6 after operating at a loss amid heavy debt, COVID-19 fallout, rising costs and tariffs, and tightening consumer spending. Owner Paul Meek called himself heartbroken over ending what he built as a community hub, amid broader pressures hitting Canada's craft beer sector.
Located on Robertson Road in Bells Corners, Kichesippi Beer Co. announced it will cease operations on March 6. Owner Paul Meek and his wife launched the business in 2010 aiming to "create something that Ottawa could be proud of." In 2019, they relocated to the current site, taking on about $1 million in debt to boost on-site sales. The move was quickly upended by the COVID-19 pandemic, from which the brewery never fully recovered.
Meek cited multiple pressures: pandemic financial fallout, tariffs on aluminum and rising can/supply costs, and declining disposable income as economic uncertainty grips consumers. "When times are tough... your disposable income gets tightened up, and businesses like ours definitely feel that," he told media. Despite exploring borrowing, new shareholders, selling, or merging, long-term viability proved elusive. "We were just never able to get out of it. I feel like I've let people down," Meek said of staff—some of whom started single and now have families—and loyal patrons.
The taproom was a community staple, hosting events like weekly "Babies and Brews" for parents, a running club's meetups, and pinball for kids. Regular Teal Narraway, who attended "babies and brews," said the closure will "leave a big void" and urged support for local businesses. Meek noted an overwhelming community response in final days: "The amount of people... saying 'I'm so sad... we love this place'... has been absolutely amazing."
Industry analyst Jason Foster in Edmonton placed it in national context: craft breweries boomed 15 years ago but now face oversupply and shrinking consumer dollars. "We have all these breweries and the size of the pie is shrinking... not everybody's going to make it." He pointed to recent closures like Halifax's 2 Crows Brewing and Victoria's Lighthouse Brewing Company. Locally, it follows Small Pony Barrel Works' January 31 shutdown due to similar cost pressures.
Meek plans to settle debts with staff and suppliers first, anticipating "a nice week of goodbyes."
