Spotlight on Daves’ Bakery, Stonehouse Teas, The Island Grind and Beach Fire Brewing Company
It’s Small Business Week (oct. 17-23), a national celebration that shines the spotlight on Canadian entrepreneurs and all they contribute to our economies and communities. Throughout the week, we’ve been sharing stories of some of Campbell River’s entrepreneurs and businesses.
Today we’re getting to know Daves’ Bakery, Stonehouse Teas, The Island Grind and Beach Fire Brewing Company—four businesses that have worked together to create local supply chains and exciting new products. Their collaborative approach is an example of the business-to-business outlook that’s helping to transform Campbell River’s economy, one customer at a time.
There has been a bakery in Willow Point for more than 25 years, although Dave Placek and Dave Williams took it over only nine years ago. “The Daves,” as they have come to be known, pride themselves on using quality ingredients and providing customers with specialty German, Czech and other European baking.
Local businesses such as The Island Grind and Beach Fire Brewing Company serve a variety of tasty treats from this community-minded bakery. Daves’ Bakery supplies The Island Grind with delicious sweet and savoury items, and their pretzels are a fast-selling item on Beach Fire Brewing Company’s menu.
At Daves’ Bakery, customers can sip on teas from Stonehouse Teas, which are served both in-house or to-go. And both the Campbell River signature blend and Earl Grey blend from Stonehouse Teas are used to flavour buttercream for Daves’ Bakery’s line of macarons.
Since the spring of 2020, Daves’ Bakery products have also been available to customers in Courtenay and Comox through Runge’s European Deli.
Stonehouse Teas has been in business for more than 20 years. It began as a home-based business, and later opened the doors to its storefront in 2005. Current owner Christine Lilyholm bought the thriving business in 2016. Today, Stonehouse Teas offers teas, coffees, gifts and more, and the café serves an assortment of beverages and baked goods. Since the brand is strong, Christine has also been enhancing the wholesale side of the business.
“It’s more important that people are drinking the tea than where they are drinking it,” she says.
Stonehouse Teas is no stranger to collaborating with other businesses. Daves’ Bakery uses their tea to flavour macarons, The Island Grind uses it to make iced tea and Beach Fire Brewing Company steeps it in beer to make small-batch tea beer. Christine tells us that a recent cranberry-apple beer “sold out in a day.”
Tea from Stonehouse Teas is also used by local artisans to craft soaps and bath bombs, and Stonehouse Teas created a custom tea blend especially for Ocean Mountain Yoga.
“We’re all stronger together than apart,” Christine says. “When there’s more quality there are more options! Customers love it and your efforts come back around in the long run.”
The Island Grind served its first cup of coffee in January 2017. Entrepreneurs Robyn Yow and Evan Falck based their business on Australian coffee-culture, focused on an authentic, community-minded, social experience.
They worked closely with local designer Modlux Interiors to conceptualize their West Coast-inspired space. Work from local artists hangs on The Island Grind’s walls, and they stock merchandise from Vancouver Island Attire. The Island Grind is also one of the locations that sells Stonehouse Teas’ Campbell River signature blend. Robyn notes that The Island Grind also donates to the Rotary Club of Campbell River’s annual TV auction and sponsors the Campbell River Disc Golf Society.
Robyn describes the process of choosing a tea from Stonehouse Teas for their iced teas as “very exciting,” adding that it was a pleasure to really get into the flavours, before settling on one that best fit The Island Grind’s customers.
Collaborating with Daves’ Bakery was also a natural fit. After research and many taste tests, Robyn and Evan decided that Daves’ Bakery was a perfect complement to The Island Grind. Robyn says The Island Grind’s stuffed pretzel sandwich, made with pretzels from Daves’ Bakery, is a “very popular” item.
Beach Fire Brewing Company, Campbell River’s first craft brewery, opened its doors in 2016. The business began with a community-minded focus that co-founder and owner Darrin Finnerty continues today.
In addition to serving tea from Stonehouse Teas in their lounge, Beach Fire Brewing Company steeps it in beer to create small-batch tea beer. Darrin tells us that when they put a keg on tap, it often sells out within a day. He notes that they also go through “a lot” of pretzels from Daves’ Bakery.
Other collaborations include showcasing works for sale by local artists in their tasting room and featuring live music by local musicians. In the spring, Beach Fire Brewing Company partners with Greenways Land Trust to offer their annual Baikie Island Spruce Ale, which Darrin says is “one of our most popular seasonal beers.” Greenways Land Trust harvests the spruce tips that are used to make the beer. Darrin explains that new spruce tips are carefully harvested while they are still sprouting, and they are only harvested from the lower branches so that the trees are not harmed. In turn, Beach Fire Brewing Company donates a portion of the sales to Greenways Land Trust. Darrin notes that Greenways Land Trust also uses Beach Fire Brewing Company’s empty malt bags for their invasive plant species clean up.
Local farmers pick up Beach Fire Brewing Company’s spent grain and kitchen veggie scraps to feed to their cattle and chickens. Beach Fire Brewing Company purchases honey from one of the farmers for their Pollinator Honey Ale, which Darrin says will be on tap again soon.
Darrin notes that Beach Fire Brewing Company’s beers can also be enjoyed at various other businesses, including Dockside Fish & Chips, Riptide Marine Pub, SoCal Restaurant & Lounge, Fifty Parallel Tap & Grill and Session.
Disclaimer
The City of Campbell River makes no representations as to the quality or accuracy of any information on external weblinks. External weblinks are provided “As Is” and without warranties of any kind, including implied warranties as to quality or accuracy. Neither the City nor its officers, elected officials, employees, volunteers or agents will be liable for any direct, incidental, consequential, indirect or punitive damages arising out of any persons’ access or use of information at an external weblink.