Why Kichesippi Beer Co is set to close down this week
Ottawa-based brewery Kichesippi Beer Co will be closing this week due to ongoing financial difficulties. db finds out how the importance of communities and staff remains paramount amid a challenging economic climate.
Last week, Kichesippi Beer Co owner Paul Meek revealed that the business had been operating at a loss “for some time”. The issues, which it outlined in its dive into why this was happening on its website, uncovered how post-pandemic fiscal constraints as well as “rising costs” all played a part in the business’s struggles.
But what had shaped the situation? According to Meek, he had looked into multiple options to retain the business and keep it running. For instance, he pointed out that he had explored options such as borrowing money, taking on new shareholders, selling the brewery in its entirety as well as the possibility of merging with other breweries.
Resilience
The main goal had been to keep the business going in an effort to save his team’s jobs, however Meek admitted that he had been unable to “secure long-term viability and profitability” for both the business and the brand going forwards.
Brewers Association board chair and president of New York’s Matt Brewing Co Fred Matt recently flagged the myriad pressures facing US breweries and told the drinks business that the sector is doing what it can to safeguard its communities and its people and stay “resilient”.
Closures
US craft brewery closures are outpacing openings for the second consecutive year, with 434 closures in 2025, following 399 in 2024, driven by high material costs, shifting consumer behaviour and lower consumption among younger generations, according to the Brewers Association research data.
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Alluding to the importance of brewery businesses within local neighbourhoods, however, Matt told db that many are being forced to muster ways of staying in the game. He explained: “Independent craft brewers continue to demonstrate resilience, creativity, and an unwavering commitment to their communities.”
Describing the recent issues Kichesippi Beer Co has faced, Meek told local press that the challenges go “back a little before the pandemic. We took on a lot of debt to move to this location with high hopes that we could get a lot of front-door traffic and sell beers by the glass and stuff like that. Mistakes are made along the way, and then, with the pandemic kicking in…we were just never able to get out of it. The rising costs in terms of cans and tariffs and things like that, it’s hard to measure, but it’s definitely impacting us.”
Assessing the situation and declaring where things began to break apart, Meek explained: “Talking to my colleagues in the industry, people are out spending less because they’re worried about their own situation. When times are tough and people are feeling uncertain, your disposable income gets tightened up, and businesses like ours definitely feel that.”
A place where people gathered
Describing the knock on effect upon the community and his staff, Meek added: “I feel like I’ve let them down. They work here, they enjoy coming in here. I’ve had staff who were single when they first worked here and now they’re married with kids. I feel bad for the people that used this as a community hub. It’s a place where they gather with their friends. There’s parents having a drink, and their kids are playing the pinball machine, and it’s a lovely thing, but it’s all coming to an end.”
The final day of service for Kichesippi Beer Co will be 6 March. db has reached out to Kichesippi Beer Co for further comment on its closure and the plans in place for its final week in business.
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