Good Things Brewing for More than 150 Years

Labatt has deep roots in Canada stemming from its founder John Kinder Labatt. In 1847, a little more than a decade after arriving in London, Ontario from Ireland, John Labatt revealed in a letter what was to be his life-long calling: “I have been considering this brewing affair for some time,” he wrote to his wife, “and think it would suit me better than anything else...”

That same year, he purchased London’s Simcoe Street brewery in partnership with Samuel Eccles and by 1853 had become the brewery’s sole proprietor. The brewery was later renamed John Labatt’s Brewery, marking the beginning of one of Canada’s largest and most successful companies.

Along with a passion to brew beer, John Labatt also knew a thing or two about business. He realized the Great Western Railway, completed in the late 1850s, was the company’s ticket to expansion outside London. No longer limiting beer sales to London and environs, the railway opened new markets for Labatt in Toronto, Montréal and the Maritimes and formed the foundation for future aggressive marketing strategies.

A Family Affair

By this time, brewing beer had become a Labatt family tradition, with John Labatt Jr. becoming involved at an early age. After an apprenticeship at a West Virginia brewery, John Jr. returned to Canada and, when his father died in 1866, took over the family business.

A commitment to quality and innovation was not lost on John Jr., whose recipe for India Pale Ale (I.P.A.) won the 1876 silver medal at the Dominion of Canada Exposition in Ottawa. For the next 35 years, I.P.A. claimed prizes at competitions worldwide and was the first of many Labatt beers to gain international recognition.

By 1878, Labatt had appointed an agency in Montréal to distribute its products. In 1899, steps were taken to meet an increasing demand for Labatt products in the Toronto area, where subsequently a sales office and small warehouse were opened.