By Mike Renzella
The Haldimand Press
JARVIS — Concession Road Brewery (CBR), located on Talbot Road in Jarvis, recently celebrated five successful years in business with a highly successful fundraising event that generated funds for several worthwhile causes, including the Jarvis Lions Club, Jarvis Caring Cupboard, and the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) of Brant, Haldimand, and Norfolk.
First opening their doors in 2018, CBR was envisioned as a “hub for our community to gather with friends and family to enjoy small batch locally brewed beers and entertainment,” said Co-owner Shannon Bunton, who runs the brewery with her husband Jeff and a dedicated staff.
Bunton explained why they chose to host a locally-minded fundraiser to mark the milestone: “Many businesses fail within their first five years. We made it through this timeframe while navigating the unknown territory of a global pandemic. If that’s not reason to celebrate we don’t know what is! We chose to host our anniversary as a fundraising party to give back to the community who has given us so much love and support on our journey.”
She said that all three chosen charities hold a “special place in our hearts.”
She explained, “The Jarvis Lions are our local service club; they are the largest Lions Club in the region and do so much good in the area. Every dollar donated to the Jarvis Lions goes right back into making our town better.”
Bunton has fully gotten behind this idea, as she is now a member of the Jarvis Lions herself and loves helping better the neighbourhood, including through helping to organize the building of the new disc golf course in Jarvis.
On the Jarvis Caring Cupboard, she said, “In the past we have done food drives at the holidays. After seeing and hearing about the growing need right here in our own backyard from families needing their services more than in previous years (and not just around the holidays), we knew we had to and will continue to work with them year-round to help feed our neighbours.”
On CMHA, she added, “We know that people are struggling with their mental health and that we need more support to help our community connect with healthcare providers and get the tools they need to thrive in this ever changing world. We want people that are struggling to know we see you and they are not alone and there is help and hope. We chose them (CMHA) because we believe the work they are doing is important and if we can help with one program that helps one person, it’s worth it.”
This recipient holds a special place for Bunton as well, who noted, “We will make this donation in loving memory of our bright beautiful cousin Eli Haynes and our friend Jeff Stewart, who both lost their battles to mental health.”
The event raised a total of $5,402.78, which will be evenly divided into three sums of $1,800.93 and dispersed accordingly.
“We have such a loving and supportive community. We knew there was no way we could celebrate this milestone with all of our supporters in our small taproom, so we rented out the Lions Hall and threw a birthday bash! The event sold out!”
The event was hosted by ‘local celebrity’ Jason Mayo and Marie Mitchel of Cheers Norfolk. Guests enjoyed live performances from some of the musicians who regularly perform at the brewery, including The Doppelgangers, Lindsay K, and Paul Harris & Mighty River.
“We were absolutely blown away by the support and donations from ALL of the local businesses in Haldimand/Norfolk for the extremely generous donations. We received donations from over 50 local businesses. There are just no words to fully express our gratitude to them. Just incredible,” said Bunton. “Haldimand and Norfolk County businesses care so much about their community and they succeed when the community supports them. It’s a win-win.
We can’t say this enough, support your local businesses! They work long hard hours, and the reward isn’t in the bank, it’s in the smile on your face.”
Bunton said that CBR will continue to innovate with new beer styles for their customers to experience, and a variety of events to entertain the community, including weekly happy hours on Wednesdays, trivia nights on Thursdays, euchre nights on Fridays, and live music on Saturdays. They also offer monthly classes and ‘Drag Murder Mysteries’.
“We just want to say thank you,” said Bunton. “Thank you for five incredible years and cheers to many more!”
