Daniel English (left) and Denny Vervaet. (Photo courtesy of Denny Vervaet). Daniel English (left) and Denny Vervaet. (Photo courtesy of Denny Vervaet).
Chatham

New CK Brewery Growing From Farming Roots

Chatham-Kent's newest craft brewers are aiming to make a point of being family-friendly while also supporting local farmers.

And the fact that the plot of land they have chosen to build on is right next to the family farm certainly brings that focus close to home.

Denny Vervaet, his wife Sandy Vervaet, and his brother-in-law Daniel English are the owners and operators behind a planned craft brewery, which they are aiming to build at the corner of Middle Line and Lagoon Rd. near Blenheim -- it's also directly beside the English family farm.

Denny Vervaet says the plans have been in the works for about four years now.

"We started as home brewers... and we kind of said, if we get anywhere hopefully if we can take it to the next level," says Vervaet, adding things really started taking off after he completed a brewery course in San Diego last summer. "It kind of opened my eyes and things catapulted from there."

Vervaet says they've already been sourcing some of their ingredients from local farmers and that's something they hope to focus on moving forward.

"We have utilized local ingredients that we put directly into our recipes, whether it be fruits or vegetables," says Vervaet. "We want to work closely with these producers so that it benefits the community and promotes agriculture around here."

Vervaet says he doesn't have a specific timeline for when they hope to be up and running yet, but a lot of the pieces are falling into place.

He knows the company will be up against some tough competition, with two established craft breweries close by (Sons of Kent Brewing Co. in Chatham and Bayside Brewing Co. in Erieau), but Vervaet is confident he and his partners will be able to find success in a growing market.

"I think that we do have two great breweries in the area already and they have their own little niche and I think we would have our own as well," says Vervaet. "It's a goal of ours to get our municipality on the map for brew tours so that we can get new visitors to the area."

While the group is ready to unveil a few of its plans, some of the key details are still under wraps. Vervaet says they have a name in mind for the venture, but he's not prepared to release that just yet. There is no set timeline for when they are hoping to have everything up and running, either.

The proposed construction site has already received the necessary zoning approval from the municipality, but it still needs one final site plan approval before construction can begin.

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