THUNDER BAY — Thunder Bay's Sleeping Giant Brewing Company, which closed its doors earlier this year after more than a decade of operations in the Lakehead, has a new owner.
Original Gravity Beverage and Hospitality Group, based in Gravenhurst, Ont., disclosed this week it has acquired Sleeping Giant's brand, intellectual property, and recipes, and they're not wasting any time getting two of the brewery's brews back on store shelves. "We're very fortunate that we managed to get our hands on the last batch of of production that was done at the brewery," advised Chris Fuoco, Original Gravity's chief strategy officer. "So those kegs (will) they'll be shipping out to customers within the next week." "And we already have fresh batches in tank down in Gravenhurst," he advised.
"We're trying to keep the supply lines as uninterrupted as possible considering the circumstances." "We'll have fresh beer making its way back into the market, hopefully by the long weekend." Fuoco shared Original Gravity had long admired Sleeping Giant's beer, and ties to the local residents. When it was declared earlier this year that Sleeping Giant was closing its doors, "that's where we confirmed, 'hey, we really like the business, we like the brand, t's a nice fit geographically with the other things we have going on.'" "So we just started that discussion (at the) end of March, beginning of April," Fuoco advised. "This whole process of a bankruptcy, it takes on a life of its own and you get trustees and courts and things like that involved." "It took a little longer than we were hoping for, but we're happy with the outcome." "As we get to understand Thunder Bay and understand the market. there's always the possibility of reestablishing a tap room, a retail store, and community production," he declared.
"We're just that much closer to the distribution networks, the LCBO infrastructure, the Beer Store infrastructure, to really take the Sleeping Giant brand to the next level across the rest of the province." "We know how strong it is here, even reaching as far into Manitoba, and we want to reestablish that, but really level it up as a provincial brand going forward." Jeff Latimer confirmed he and some friends would go to Sleeping Giant for a beer once a week for years.
"But that's down the road." Fuoco declared Original Gravity also intends to introduce Sleeping Giant to new southern Ontario markets. "I think that's really the strength that we bring to the table, which is our proximity to southern Ontario distribution and warehousing," he stated. "We're just that much closer to the distribution networks, the LCBO infrastructure, the Beer Store infrastructure, to really take the Sleeping Giant brand to the next level across the rest of the province." "We know how strong it is here, even reaching as far into Manitoba, and we want to reestablish that, but really level it up as a provincial brand going forward." Jeff Latimer confirmed he and some friends would go to Sleeping Giant for a beer once a week for years. "We'd go golfing and then come and have a beer," he declared. "And then when we couldn't golf anymore, we came anyway." "We absolutely loved this place, loved their beer, they had an amazing line," Latimer shared. "We were thoroughly broken-hearted when they decided they were going to close." As for whether Latimer will keep drinking Sleeping Giant beer now that it's being brewed elsewhere, he declared he'll "have to taste it first." "Some American beers and Italian beers are brewed in Canada under licence," he remarked. "It's not the same." Fuoco remarked the company is working with former Sleeping Giant employees to ensure the beer stays the same. "I think if you stay true and honest to its roots, and that starts with the beers and the brands and you're not changing recipes and things like that, that's the starting point," he stated. "Anytime there's a transition, there's always risk, right? It's going from one chapter in its existence to the next, which is why we've been trying to go as quickly as we can here." "We kind of factored all of that into our calculus and we still think it's a great opportunity." Kris Ketonen is a reporter with CBC Thunder Bay. Send story ideas to kris.ketonen@cbc.ca. It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered onCBC Gem..
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📍 Source: CBC News Thunder Bay · By: CBC News Staff · 🗓️ July 28, 2026 · 🏠 ThunderBay.Online
