Eric is a key member of the brewery team. A graduate of the Niagara College Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management program, he’s at the forefront of our effort to ensure every can of Dominion City lives up to our promise to deliver ‘Very Good’ beer.
As an Indigenous person working in the beer industry, Eric’s ancestry and identity are major sources of inspiration and motivation as a brewer. While artisanal brewing has a reputation for openness and community, he says there remains a lot of work to do. Eric hopes to harness his experience and success to show others there’s room in the industry for everyone.
“There’s a ton of stigma around Indigenous people and alcohol and I want to break down those barriers. I hope showing that there are people in the industry who are contributing and growing it in the same capacity as white bearded guys will help.”
Eric leads Dominion City’s quality assurance program. When not working in the brewery cellar, he can often be found hunched over a microscope counting yeast cells, ruling out the presence of beer spoiling bacteria or wild yeast, and ensuring we have the necessary number of healthy yeast cells to ferment the next batch of beer.
Asked to describe his proudest moment in the industry, Eric doesn’t hesitate to bring up the Good Way, a year-long collaboration undertaken in 2019 with friends from the Anishinabeg community of Kitigan Zibi. It was a project in which he took a keen interest and a leadership role.
It was one of the most challenging projects I have ever been a part of, and it brought up a lot of feelings. It was really a journey of self discovery. Incorporating different ingredients that are from the land and knowing what they can bring to the table was one of the most interesting experiments of my career. Getting to know Anna and Mike, and seeing how they interact with the world around them really helped me understand who I am and where I fit in. Combining traditional ingredients with culture and culminating with the dinner, I was beyond proud to be a part of the entire project.
Eric’s happiest moments, both at work and away, come when he feels like he’s part of a team pulling in the same direction towards a common goal. On the job, that feeling comes when the brewery team tackles a common challenge or tries something new. Away from the brewery he can be found playing hockey, often working to set up a teammate to score.
Eric lives with his partner Maria and their dog Moe.