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WRITTEN BY CARRIE DOW PHOTO PROVIDED BY NORTH STILLS
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s the 2020 global pandemic wreaked havoc “Especially in Canada,” noted North Stills presiHow two equipment on the economies of the U.S. and Canada, dent and founder Dylan McKinnon, “I’ve noticed manufacturers, one in the the spirits industry found itself in flux. According some pretty dramatic trends from the time COVID U.S. and one in Canada, to a January 2021 ADI survey of their memberstarted and trying to keep my pulse on where the ship, while there was growth in certain segments demand is in the distilling space.” weathered the pandemic (whiskey sales, ready-to-drink cocktails), overall “Our clients have been getting bigger and bigand its effects on the the member respondents saw a decline in business. ger,” said McKinnon. “People are even distilling distilling industry. Many distilleries had to shift priorities quickly and water with our systems. We’ve had clients in the they began by looking at how existing and new cosmetic space. We’ve worked with farms that are equipment could fit their new needs. Two equipment looking to produce essential oils, lavender farms. But manufacturers – ABE Beverage Equipment in Lincoln, Nebraska, and the vast majority of our client space has been in the craft distillation North Stills in Toronto, Ontario – reflect on their side of the business market.” and what that says about the resilience of the industry overall. This occurred even as Canada had tighter restrictions than the U.S. The U.S. and Canada had vastly different experiences during the The U.S.-Canadian border was closed to non-essential travel at the end 2020 shutdown. Canada went into a near lockdown for the summer. of March 2020 and while Canada opened to vaccinated Americans in In the U.S., laws involving spirit sales changed and manufacturers and August 2021, the U.S. side remained closed until September due to the distillers had to deal with those changes in real time. The addition of Delta variant. Many Canadian businesses were closed well into 2021. direct-to-consumers sales and ready-to-drink cocktails opened new Toronto, where North Stills is based, had one of the longest restaurant revenue streams, but also created supply-chain obstacles. As things shutdowns in the world at more than 360 days. continue to reopen in both countries, these manufacturers are using “We were fully locked down, meaning like complete stay-at-home what they experienced over the past 20 months to handle what’s next. order. No bars or restaurants. Venues of any kind completely stopped,” For Adam Kosmicki, vice president of technical services and sales at McKinnon said. ABE, it’s about flexibility. In the U.S., the sale of alcoholic beverages was deemed essential, but “We’ve adapted based upon the shift in requests and feedback we got different states had different rules for getting those products to confrom prospects. That’s part of what’s driven our business model from sumers. For ABE, Kosmicki said the changes they experienced started coronavirus,” he said. “As we’ve seen different needs in the industry, before the pandemic, but shutdowns and restrictions greatly acceleratwe’ve added different pieces of equipment to support what we identify ed things. as demand.” “We’re seeing more and more industries shift to canning that would Both companies have seen dramatic changes. traditionally be in bottles. That’s facilitating a lot of our efforts. If you W W W . ARTISANSPIRITMAG . C O M
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