Like all small businesses, the Hammond Golf & Country Club and Broken Stick Brewing Company (BSBC) have had a challenging year. With government-mandated shutdowns, the golf season, restaurant, and brewery were in jeopardy and had to shut down at various times.
Despite these setbacks, the golf course and brewery took the time to work on their business and improve the quality of their products and services. Starting with the golf course.
Hammond Golf & Country Club owner Leonard Gendron has recently embarked on an ambitious project to promote environmental sustainability in the golf industry.
Soil samples from the course demonstrate that after 40 years of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers use, the soil is almost completely depleted. As such, the golf course is now working on and analyzing the soil with Régénération Canada, DocTerre and Arbre Évolution to develop a plan using regenerative principles, including compost teas.
Leonard said that “By restoring the natural state of the course’s soil it will not only provide better playing conditions, it will also help the turf better survive droughts and harsh winters more organically and will allow their business to do their part to help restore our environment.”
That’s not the only change at the golf course. They’ve also hired Nicholas Berolo, a new executive chef who has been managing kitchens for the past 12 years. Nicholas is a Cordon Bleu graduate with a certified red seal and is revitalizing the restaurant offerings.
Similarly, BSBC added new equipment and made some changes to their brewing space. A new bigger and more efficient brewing kettle was installed in February. A new mash tun has been ordered and will be installed in early May. The brewery is also upgrading its water system to recapture brewing process water—reducing water use by nearly half.
Steph Dicaire, BSBC owner said “We’ve had to adapt our business plan to offer shipping and local deliveries. This has been beneficial in getting our products to customers that may not have come to the brewery due to fact that they are not in close proximity to the brewery. It has increased our client base ten fold.”
Dave Callaghan, head brewer at BSBC had this to say about all the positive changes: “The upgrades to the brewery makes our brew days more efficient in terms of both time and resources required to brew, which will ultimately lead to keeping the beers everyone loves in stock and free up more opportunities to experiment with new exciting beer styles.”
And both the golf course and BSBC businesses have thrived as a result of the above changes. But it’s not just about business, it’s about community.
Aaron Markel, owner of BSBC said “I’m so thrilled to be providing opportunities for our customers and community to experience not only our new products, but the beautiful land we are fortunate enough to be a part of.”
But this is not the end of the story for the Hammond family. There’s more. The most recent addition to the team has been Hammond Hill, an eco-friendly wilderness retreat featuring 10 small cabins nestled amongst 50 acres of mature woodland next to the course.
Contact Information:
Hammond Golf & Country Club — Leonard Gendron (leonard@hammondgolf.com)
Broken Stick Brewing Company — Steph Dicaire (steph@brokenstickbrewing.com)
Hammond Hill — Brad Cartier (info@hammondhill.ca)
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