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Kimberley City Bakery and Microbrewery?
By Robin Knight
Small businesses in the Kootenays are always looking for ways to innovate and offer their customers something new and different, a reason to come and visit their shop or store from miles around.
And one of the most innovative small businesses around is surely The Kimberley City Bakery, which has brought the Kootenays The Kimberley Medieval Festival, Croissant Friday, The Left Handed Pretzel Croissant, and put Kimberley on the map by winning The Jake the Baker Award from The Bakers Journal and The Bakers Association of Canada for Best Bakery in Canada in 2017.
The minds behind these innovations have been hard at work, coming up with something new that they are sure will be a hit in the Kootenays. After reaching out to many customers, both local and tourists, and brainstorming sessions, a new brainchild was born.
“The two items that consistently came out on top, when people in the Kootenays were asked what they love most to eat,” said owner Eric Forbes, “Are apple fritters and beer.”
And so it was born.
The Apple Fritter Pale Ale.
Swampy McDuff, one of Kimberley’s foremost ale connoisseurs, was brought in for tasting before the full reveal. “I’ve always said we needed something local,” he told reporters. “Apple fritters and ale, now that’s something this town never knew it was missing.” After a tasting, McDuff says, “This P.A. pairs well [with] KCB’s signature Apple Fritter, and I find it has similarities to McGrath’s Irish Red with a tea cake.”
The Apple Fritter P.A. will be the ale created by Kimberley City Bakery’s new microbrewery. “People might say we got enough microbreweries,” said McDuff, “but this here’s real innovation. There’s always room for more innovative ales. And this will be the one that people remember when they look back on 2019. The year of the Apple Fritter P.A., they’ll say.”
The last year has been a busy one for the Forbes, as they have found new owners to run The Kimberley City Bakery Medieval Festival (now The Kimberley Viking Festival), welcomed their fourth child, added a Keto menu with bread, cookies, and fat bombs, and now a microbrewery.
“It’s definitely busy,” said Forbes, “but innovation is the key to success. Once you build a successful business, people are always looking for the next thing. My mind is always looking for new ideas and new innovations.” What’s the next big thing? There’s a mischievous twinkle in Forbes’ eye. “You won’t have to wait long for the next one. But today is April 1, our unveiling of our Microbrewery, so right now, we’re just going to enjoy this.”
Another story from the April Fool’s Files.
Kimberley City Bakery
