Manjit Minhas
Manjit Minhas (born May 31, 1980) is a Canadian entrepreneur, television personality and venture capitalist. She is co-founder and CEO of Minhas Breweries & Distillery, manufacturer of beer brands such as Boxer Lager, Lazy Mutt Ale and Huber Bock.[1] Minhas was announced as one of the new dragons on Season 10 of the Canadian reality television series Dragons' Den in 2015 for its tenth season.[2]
Personal life
Born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, and attended West Island College from 1996–1998.[3] Minhas received her Petroleum Engineering degree from the University of Regina in 2005.[4] Minhas resides with her husband Harvey Shergill and two daughters in Calgary, Alberta.[5] The Minhases are Sikh.[6]
Business
Minhas and her brother Ravinder entered the alcohol industry in 1999, while both siblings were students at the University of Calgary. Their first endeavor was importing private label spirits for a chain of liquor stores owned by their parents.[7] The family began importing beer in 2002.
In 2006, the Mountain Crest Brewing Company purchased the second-oldest brewery in the United States, the Joseph Huber Brewing Company, along with rights to the Huber and Rhinelander beer brands and Blumers soda brand. The Monroe brewery was renamed Minhas Craft Brewery.[8] Today, Minhas Craft Brewery is the 10th largest craft brewery in the United States.[9]
In addition to producing such brands as Boxer Lager, Lazy Mutt Ale and Huber Bock, the Minhas Craft Brewery also contracts for other brewers and produces private label beers and spirits for retailers such as Costco, Trader Joes, Tesco and Walgreens.[10]
A second brewery, the Minhas Micro Brewery, opened in Calgary, Alberta in June 2012.[11]
Combined, the Minhas Breweries & Distillery is a group of companies with a reported revenue of $155 million in 2014.[2]
Television
Minhas, Joe Fresh founder Joe Mimran, and buytopia.ca co-founder Michele Romanow were the new dragons on Season 10 of the Canadian reality television series Dragons' Den in 2015 after the departure of Arlene Dickinson, David Chilton and Vikram Vij.[2]
Controversy
Molson Brewery sued Mountain Crest Brewing in 2002 over similarities between the Minhas' flagship product and the Molson-owned product Pilsner. The matter was settled out of court.[12]
Minhas claims competitors were behind an Ontario Provincial Police investigation that hindered her company's entry into the Ontario beer market in 2005.[7][13] The investigation was eventually dropped and Boxer Lager was listed in Ontario's Beer Store chain in 2009.[14]
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Tom Daykin, "Monroe's Huber Brewing sold: Canadian buyer agrees to buy beer and soda brands, plans to add workers." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, September 20, 2006 – via HighBeam Research
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
