A work-related injury and a passion for home brewing led to the creation of a new business for Marc and Meaghan Zaichkowsky.

After two years of planning and preparation, the Shuswap couple recently opened their new home-based brewery, Ricochet Brewing. Part of that preparation included renovating the two-car garage in their backyard and transforming it into a brewery, complete with their own canning machine.

Ricochet91裸聊视频檚 first products are Mountainside Pilsner, Grapefruit IPA, Firehouse Red Ale and Coffee Stout. Marc described the pilsner as a 91裸聊视频渓ight, easy drinking summer beer.91裸聊视频� The IPA, too, is a summer favourite, heavy on the hops made with grapefruits sourced from DeMille91裸聊视频檚 Farm Market.

The Zaichkowskys partnered with neighbour and Reverend Coffee owner Steve Janz to create the stout. As for the red ale, its name is a tribute to local firefighters and other first responders.

Marc is fire chief with the Tappen Sunnybrae Fire Department, and Janz a volunteer firefighter.

The work injury Marc sustained was from falling off a ladder while running his construction company.

91裸聊视频淚 went through some surgeries and got to the point where doing my regular construction duties wasn91裸聊视频檛 a viable option,91裸聊视频� said Marc, explaining he had to get off the tools and move more into management. It was around this time the dream of a brewery began.

91裸聊视频淭his was a hobby that started on the back deck; it soon became a viable option for a future career after I received the work injury.91裸聊视频�

The Zaichkowskys were encouraged by friends in construction and fellow firefighters, who taste-tested their homemade brews.

91裸聊视频淭hey were finding it very satisfying, and with the amount of different batches we had done and the different flavours, we decided, let91裸聊视频檚 take these into production and start a full-scale brewery in our backyard,91裸聊视频� said Marc.

Over the next couple of years the entrepreneurial couple researched the feasibility of a home-based brewery, and then took all the steps necessary to make it happen. That included working with Specific Brewing Distilling, which provided all the brewing equipment custom to the Zaichkowsky91裸聊视频檚 floor space and specific needs.

91裸聊视频淥ur main focus for this brewery was distribution,91裸聊视频� said Marc. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 on our personal property and we still have three young kids we have to attend to and we still want to live the Shuswap lifestyle. So we decided to make this a home-based business and reach out to liquor stores and restaurants to move our product for us.

91裸聊视频淚t is not the most common approach. The most profit off a pint of beer is through a tap room where you91裸聊视频檙e selling for $9 a pint. Here we91裸聊视频檙e selling for just under $5 a can, so the profit margins are different, but our overhead is a lot smaller here.91裸聊视频�

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The cans Ricochet produces feature a silhouette of Bastion Mountain and a ricocheting ball. Asked about the company91裸聊视频檚 name, the Zaichkowskys explained it91裸聊视频檚 about transition.

91裸聊视频淲e pulled Ricochet out of taking life91裸聊视频檚 ups and downs, our injury in the construction world and making the most of what we91裸聊视频檝e been given and taking it to its max,91裸聊视频� said Marc.

91裸聊视频淩ebounding from that and heading in a new direction,91裸聊视频� added Meaghan.

Currently, the Zaichkowskys are selling their product in four packs at the Market by the Bay/Music in the Bay from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Centennial Park in Blind Bay, and at their home brewery, at 3865 Sunnybrae Canoe Point Rd. (close to Sunnybrae Vineyards and Winery), open Fridays, 5 to 8 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, 11:30 to 6 p.m. Visitors are asked to drive through the carport and park at the back of the property 91裸聊视频� not on the road.

The Zaichkowskys will be hosting their grand opening on Saturday, Aug. 6. For more information, visit the Ricochet Brewing page on Facebook.

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