A Case Study
Brewed In The Rockies
With Crisp Mountain Water.
History Of The Brand
Grizzly Paw is a tried-and-true local brand, started 25 years ago in Canmore their company has become a part of Albertan culture and a traditional stop when passing through. Many tourists who find themselves in Canmore will also find the Grizzly Paw, a busy local setting that does not just brew beer and soda but also innovation. After 10 years in business this company, positioned at the doorstep to Banff decided to use the pristine rocky mountain water for more than just beer. They decided to open the Grizzly Paw community to everyone, not just craft beer enthusiasts and thirsty adult tourists.
In 2006 Grizzly Paw began producing craft sodas, an excellent complement to the popular beer that they had been producing for years. With the flagship root beer flavour leading the way, Grizzly Paw continued to reach the local market and began creating business in local cafes and restaurants that wanted to offer something unique and more flavorful than a typical big name soft drink.
This led to an increasing demand for both the soda and beer, which told the entrepreneurial team at Grizzly Paw it was time to expand. So, in 2011 they broke ground on their new timber framed (in true mountain style) brewery and restaurant. From there the sodas continued to sell and the sales team continued to expand distribution. The result of this continued success started to attract attention, because when a great tasting local product coupled with fantastic company values emerges the Curve team starts crunching numbers and asking the questions. Is there a market niche for this product? And can we help realize that potential?
The Brewing Of Something Better.
Grizzly Paw in 2014 was starting to bring more attention to its soda line up, hiring a dedicated brand manager to start telling the brand story and to build momentum. Kristina was that dedicated manager, and she is still working at the company today. She talked about how when Curve approached Grizzly Paw, the penetration of the grocery channel was not a primary objective. Instead, she was focused on their own internal retail location and other foodservice accounts that could help their soda brand grow. Curve used its sales team, knowledge of product development, and go to market strategies to help Grizzly Paw get on store shelves Alberta wide, with a guided growth plan. Working together with Grizzly Paw we were able to sell the product into the grocery channel that had been previously unrealized. The Curve sales team put a strategy into action, and was able to increase Grizzly Paw sales and grow distribution points throughout the province.
Like a well brewed beverage where temperature control, timing, and a precise recipe are critical for success, our process at Curve is similar. Instead of brewing beverages our successful recipe is for building brands; we take a product that we believe in, work with the brand to develop a growth strategy, bring it to trusted industry buyers, and incorporate our outstanding customer service and delivery model.
We might have made connections, brokered deals, and helped with forecasting so production could meet demand but, Grizzly Paw made the Soda, and they built a successful brand with an exceptional product. They continue to innovate, even now, being a fully deployed brand in the grocery retail channel within Alberta with their first steps into BC.
Where to Next?
Grizzly Paw, working with Curve has recently launched a canned version of the same sweet soda they have been bottling in glass for years. This canned product is more logistically sound and will allow Grizzly Paw to continue to grow into more markets. These cans will find themselves in places glass bottles are just not practical, easy to grab and go to just about anywhere. As Grizzly Paw continues to innovate, and the Curve team continues to grow the distribution path, we will have to look past the snow coated rocky mountain peaks to the sky as that is the only limit for our two companies.