Popular Burnaby brewery announces closure citing various difficulties
Posted December 7, 2023 1:47 pm.
One of Burnaby’s few craft breweries is shutting down operations after three years in business, citing a number of challenges leading to its difficult decision.
Studio Brewing announced on Instagram “with the heaviest of hearts” that it will be closing its doors on Dec. 22. It says the closure is due to a combination of factors, including delays in opening, pandemic difficulties, and consumer preferences shifting away from craft beer.
“It takes years to open a brewery, and unfortunately you don’t get to choose when you open or what the environment will look like when you do,” Studio Brewing added.
City councillor Daniel Tetrault tells CityNews the closing of Studio Brewing is a “loss for the community,” adding he is shocked given how popular the small business was.
“I am very sad and shocked to hear the news of Studio closing. It is terrible news for all of Burnaby, particularly the south Burnaby community, who don’t have many options,” he said.
He says the beer was “fantastic” and the atmosphere was great. He notes the business is also located in a neighbourhood with options close to transit and bike routes.
“Every time I went there, it was vibrant and packed and often hard to get a seat,” he recalled.
Tetrault says Studio was a local institution and partly inspired a motion he put forward earlier this year to look into establishing a brewer’s row with other small businesses, restaurants, bakeries, and live entertainment in Burnaby — which he is not giving up on quite yet.
He says his goal is to make sure there are no bureaucratic issues when small businesses, like Studio, are starting up.
“We need to implement these changes as soon as possible or we risk losing other valuable, important small businesses in our communities,” Tetrault explained.
The councillor points out there are currently not many places in Burnaby for young people, or people in general, to socialize with friends.
He adds he’s asked city staff to reach out to Studio Brewing to try and learn from the challenges it faced.
“It’s a big loss to … all of Burnaby as a whole … and we’re going to look to see how to support sustainable small businesses and breweries moving forward.”
