FOREST - It’s become a hopping success for former Forest Ontario pork producers Joe and Mary Donkers.
"We're very proud of it," says co-owner Mary Donkers.
From feeding pigs to filling beer cans, the former Lambton County pork producers have turned their farm into a brewing operation, selling beer under the label Stone Picker Brewing Company.
“There were pigs on the place when I was born," said Joe Donkers. "We took the farm over from my mother 35 years ago, and then decided it was time for a new career.”
This craft brewery started out in one of the most humble of fashions. In the Spring of 2006 Joe had an idea to plant three acres of malting barley. The crop was planted and harvested successfully, but being a full-time pig farmer and not having a lot of time, the barley eventually was fed to their pigs.
From there he decided he needed to make this a full time job, but their first brewing fermentation equipment was very rudimentary, starting with an old bucket used to pick stones to hold the mash and an old turkey burner for boiling.
“We started out very meager," said Joe. "We really had no clue what we were doing. We ended up buying brewing equipment online and some of those first beers they weren’t very good.”
With persistence and dedication, Stone Picker Brewing Company was born. Mary says the hard work hasn’t stopped.
“When we were in the pig barn it was just the two of us and it was very busy but this is just as busy if not busier.”
Today, Stone Picker Brewing has over 50 thousand litres of fermenting capacity and regularly produces over seven to eight varieties of craft beers. With names like Farmers Tan and Tractor On The Wall, all of the beers come with a farm themed name.
Brew Master Matt Cartwright says the amount of beer they have sold is shocking.
"It’s kind of unbelievable how successful it has become,” said Matt. "I never thought it was going to get this big. “I think now we are in almost 45 different restaurants; it turned out bigger than we expected."
With a large selection of lagers, IPA, stouts and Pilsner’s available, and now a clothing line. The brewery and tap house that literally has a 'tractor on the wall' continues to grow in popularity.
According to Joe, this has been his lifelong dream.
"It's amazing what we built, but I never could have thought it would be this big."
They have no plans or resting on their laurels. The Donkers are in the process of creating one of the world’s most sustainable brewing operations to help reduce their carbon footprint. They plan to grow and malt all of their own barley. Joe believes that might be a first in the craft brewing stratosphere.
"Our goal is to plant the barley and malt the barley, turn it into beer and sell it and make a complete loop on the farm, we may be the only ones to achieve this," said Joe.
For Joe Donkers the brewery is no longer a hobby, its passion that bubbles over when he talks about the success of the operation.
“I really like it there are days that we wonder why we got involved in it. Nothing is perfect. I’m sure I like it a little more than Mary does.”
Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/_1XaTQK_Kyc