Section 6: Brewery Retail Store Endorsement

What is a Brewery Retail Store Endorsement?

A Brewery Retail Store Endorsement authorizes a brewery to sell its beer at any location on the licensee’s production site from a retail store on the production site.

To be eligible for a Brewery Retail Store Endorsement a brewery must hold a valid Manufacturer’s Licence – Brewery from the AGCO and the brewery must exercise substantial ownership and control over the production site where the retail store is located. Where the production site is owned and controlled by more than one licensed manufacturer, the brewery must demonstrate to the Registrar that it meets this requirement.

Where more than one retail store is located at the same production site, each licensed manufacturer must own and operate their own retail store and the store must be readily distinguishable from any other authorized retail store located at the same production site. Sales from more than one store may not be conducted in the same location.

A brewery may hold no more than two Brewery Retail Store Endorsements and each store must be located at a production site of the manufacturer. The beer sold at each store must meet the criteria noted below.

Beer that May Be Sold at the Retail Store

A brewery may only sell beer at the brewery retail store if the following criteria are satisfied.

If the brewery has only one Brewery Retail Store Endorsement, the full brewing process must take place at the production site where the retail store is located, including mashing, lautering, boiling, hop separation, fermentation and packaging.

If the brewery has two Brewery Retail Store Endorsements the brewery may sell beer at a retail store that has been produced at another production site owned by the brewery, provided that the other production site also has a retail store, and:

• the full brewing process for at least 50 per cent of the beer sold at each retail store must take place at the production site where the retail store is located, and
• the full brewing process for any remaining beer sold at the retail store must take place at the production site where the other retail store is located.

Products Other Than Liquor Which May Be Sold

Manufacturers may sell some non-liquor products at a brewery retail store operated under a Brewery Retail Store Endorsement. The list of permissible items is set out in the standards and requirements established by the Registrar.

Things to know before applying

General Eligibility Criteria

Generally, in order to be eligible for a Brewery Retail Store Endorsement:

• The applicant must be a brewery with a valid Manufacturer’s Licence – Brewery issued by the Registrar.
• The applicant must meet the requirements set out in the Liquor Licence and Control Act and its regulations.

Please note that the application process also includes a site inspection of the constructed retail store to confirm that all eligibility criteria and requirements have been met.

Please note that it is the responsibility of the holder of a retail store endorsement to ensure that it complies with all federal, provincial and municipal laws including municipal zoning by-laws/requirements.

Supporting documents

What supporting documents/information are needed for a Brewery Retail Store Endorsement application?

When applying for a Brewery Retail Store Endorsement via iAGCO, you will be asked to provide the following as part of your application. These items can be provided to the AGCO at any time during the application process:

• completed Municipal Information for a Retail Store 
• site plan detailing the production site and the proposed retail store location
• floor plan of the proposed retail store including square footage
• supplementary documentation demonstrating substantial ownership and control of the production site (if ownership and control of the production site shared with any other licensed manufacturer)

Renewing your Retail Store Endorsement

Retail Store Endorsements are valid for a period of two or four years and expire when the associated Brewery Licence expires or is terminated. As a courtesy, Brewery Licence holders will be sent a renewal notice approximately 60 days prior to the expiry date shown on the licence. However, it remains the licensee’s responsibility to ensure the licence is renewed on time.

To ensure your Retail Store Endorsement and Brewery Licence remain valid, please see the section on “Renewing a Brewery Licence” for instructions on completing the renewal application.

Moving your brewery retail store to a new location

A brewery must notify the Registrar if it moves its brewery retail store to a new location on the same production site.

A brewery must apply for a new Brewery Retail Store Endorsement if it wants to move the brewery retail store to a different production site of the brewery, or if the brewery wants to move both the production site and the brewery retail store. Please note that the application process also includes a site inspection of the constructed retail store by an AGCO Compliance Official to confirm that all eligibility criteria and requirements have been met.

A brewery retail store cannot be moved to a location away from the brewery’s production site. It must remain located at a production site of the holder of the Retail Store Endorsement.

After the move, the brewery retail store must continue to operate in accordance with all the requirements for a Brewery Retail Store Endorsement, including the requirements noted above about the retail store location, production site and beer that may be sold in the store.

Transferring your Brewery Retail Store Endorsement

A Brewery Retail Store Endorsement can only be transferred together with the Brewery Licence to which it is attached. Separate applications must be filed for the transfer of the Brewery Retail Store Endorsement and for the transfer of the Brewery Licence. These two applications will be reviewed concurrently.