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Written by Sarah Israel | Photos by Jessica Khalaf
Tucked away in a suite of rooms on Durham College’s Whitby Campus, the Centre for Craft Beverage Innovation (CCBI) looks unassuming, but don’t be fooled: major innovation is happening in this space.
Since 2018, the CCBI has been working with craft beverage makers to develop new products, perfect their recipes, or diagnose and remedy costly production problems that threaten a beverage producer’s bottom line.
Promoting beverage innovation in Durham Region and beyond
The Centre for Craft Beverage Innovation is part of Durham College’s W. Galen Weston Centre for Food, a learning centre that provides hands-on training for students enrolled in culinary, hospitality, event management, tourism, agricultural and horticultural programs.
The Weston Centre follows the field-to-fork concept and promotes local food production for local consumers, a value that aligns with CCBI’s mandate to help Canadian beverage makers grow and thrive in a competitive industry.
“We help turn ideas into customer-ready products,” says Chris Gillis, Manager of Applied Research Business Development at CCBI. “Our goal is to eliminate the guesswork and help producers launch with confidence.”
“From concept to can” and all points in between
The CCBI is a small but mighty scale model of a craft brewery, featuring a complete brew line to produce beverages from start to finish. CCBI also houses a state-of-the-art lab funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
This equipment allows CCBI to work with all sorts of different craft beverage makers, including:
- Established businesses looking to optimize production and reduce costs.
- New entrepreneurs developing innovative beverage concepts.
- Farm-based producers seeking to scale while preserving their local identity.
Their slogan, “from concept to can,” encapsulates a broad range of needs, from product prototyping and pilot testing to diagnosing problem areas and finding ways to streamline operations, reduce waste, and improve margins. The lab provides valuable testing to help with quality assurance and quality improvement, which is particularly useful for Canadian entrepreneurs looking to sell their products in retail outlets.
Moving from “Brewing” to “Beverage”
In June, CCBI modified their name from the Centre for Craft Brewing Innovation to the Centre for Craft Beverage Innovation. Gillis explains that the rebrand reflects the changing face of the industry across Canada: “In addition to helping brewers, we are also working with kombucha makers, cideries, wine artisans, and [non-alcoholic] beverages. Our new name reflects the diversity of creators we serve.”
CCBI is particularly excited to offer their services to Canadian farmers who may be looking to diversify their revenue streams. The Farm Beverage Innovator Program specifically targets growers looking to use their produce in new ways. CCBI can assist with every stage of the process, from figuring out if the idea is viable to testing recipes, prototyping and producing a batch, and connecting farmers with provincial and federal funding opportunities.
Leveraging AI to drive beverage innovation
The CCBI is pushing the boundaries of the craft beverage industry through the integration of artificial intelligence (AI). CCBI has teamed up with Durham College’s AI Hub, a technology studio and applied research centre that helps Canadian companies harness the full potential of AI.
A recent collaboration was “The Logical Problem-Solver,” a West Coast India Pale Ale (IPA) brewed from an AI-generated recipe. Brewmaster Mike Aylward reviewed the formulation and found that he didn’t need to make any adjustments. The AI model also helped select the beer name and generated concept art for the label.
Following the project’s success, the CCBI team is developing new AI tools to help businesses optimize their workflow, reduce waste, and find ways to be more profitable.
Gillis is excited about the possible applications for beverage makers: “What if AI could tell you how your batch is going to turn out, or whether you need to adjust quantities based on factors like outside temperature and humidity? AI can help beverage makers become even better at what they do.”
The Centre for Craft Beverage Innovation is a great example of unique innovative thinking right here in Durham Region. To learn more about CCBI or to partner with their team, contact CCBI@DurhamCollege.ca.
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