Canada, ON: A new gluten-free brewery opens in Toronto

Recently, Robert Cundari, the current Operations Manager for PaneRiso, a gluten-free wholesale bakery, opened Heady Brew Company. It's set to join Snowman Brewing in offering locally crafted gluten-free beer to the GTA market, Blogto.com reported on March, 27.

Initially, test batches were less than promising. Using a homebrew kit and working out of his Nana's basement, Cundari moved his operations to a larger space in the family bakery and enlisted the help of his cousin, Tyler. After nine months of test batches, they landed on something they liked. According to Cundari, Heady's first and only beer, Heady's Honey Citrus, has a broad appeal and is meant for anyone that hasn't had a beer in a while.

"It's a beer for people that have been drinking wine, cider, or liquor rather than beer. I think my Honey Citrus is a good intermediate step to enjoying beer once again," he says. Though he also notes that it's tested well with the gluten "tolerant" too.

"The problem that I have is that I'm in a niche of a niche market: the gluten-free market and the craft brewery industry." He's optimistic, however, that his brand has what it takes to make it, especially given how much he's watched the demand for gluten-free products grow over the years.

"It's unbelievable how many gluten sufferers are out there," he says.

For now, Cundari's plan is to start small. He'll focus on producing just Heady's Honey Citrus for now and, once he wraps up licensing, he'll focus on sales calls to restaurants that cater to gluten-free diners, some of whom have already expressed an interest.

While it's too soon to think about a broader market yet in terms of distribution, Cundari is looking toward the future and said that six other gluten-free beers are in the works depending on the success of the Honey Citrus. He even hinted that he's got plans for some beer types new to the Toronto scene.

30 March, 2012