This new Kelowna brewery was built on a dream

Buffalo Rouge Brewing Company's history leads back to Fort McMurray, where owners Liam Mitchell and Crystal Cain, met.

As their relationship grew, so did the dream of opening their own brewery, which has now become a reality in Kelowna.

The brewery's unique name, "Buffalo Rouge," was inspired by Fort McMurray's connection to the buffalo, captures the essence of the establishment. The name, chosen after thoughtful consideration, organically shaped the entire atmosphere of the brewery.

“We just kept trying to figure out if there was ever going to be anything better than Buffalo Rouge. And then the name kind of created the genesis of the entire vibe in this place,” Liam told Kelowna10. “It just came very organically, a very succinct vision that was somehow actually not fully realized before we started building it. And it was meant to be.”

Liam’s brewing experience includes him home brewing his own beer for four years. In addition, he helped build local breweries Kettle River and Jackknife Brewing.

Crystal, with two decades of experience in the food industry, brought her food truck, 'The Wagon,' which featured her vegetarian and vegan menu is the primary food source at the brewery hoping to continue to promote plant-based eating.

“I had The Wagon at the farmer's market, and it was super busy, and we brought in lots of vegans to the market, but it also got a lot of people that would normally eat meat trying new things,” Crystal said. “We're not vegan, but we try to eat mostly plant-based and try to spread that to the world and try to get people to eat more plants. And it's kind of our motto now.”

The interior design of the brewery reflects a commitment to sustainability, with many items donated by supportive customers.

“We've been lucky to have such a good support from other breweries and friends and now customers,” he said. “The patio heater was donated by one of our customers, our Christmas tree was donated by one of our customers. Everything we have in here is made of something else that has a story unto itself.”

Since opening in October, navigating the day-to-day operations of the brewery has been a symbol of dreams and determination as the pair continue to show their passion for the business.

“Some days it sinks in in different ways than others. It's a tremendous amount of work, considering we also have a two-and-a-half-year-old,” Liam said. “But both of us are living different parts of our dreams. My wife always wanted her own commercial kitchen and since I learned how to make beer, I've wanted to be able to share it with people.”