Pints and Snacks
It’s been five years since Matron Fine Beer opened its doors in Bloomfield, a beautiful village in bucolic Prince Edward County. Having tackled all the growing pains of starting a new business during a global pandemic, the team feels ready to head out on steady footing. Despite the milestone anniversary, the trio behind the brewery feels as if it’s experiencing the first year all over again.
Since 2019, Matron Fine Beer has been helmed by longtime friends Jes Nettleton, Mallory Jones and Justin da Silva. Driven by ambition, inspired by beer and a love of hospitality, the palsturned-business partners had been brewing the idea a long time before opening their own space, having laid the groundwork for more than a decade.
Jones and da Silva worked at the now closed Stone City Ales in Kingston for many years prior to heading out on their own. Jones’ background in graphic design and marketing helped set Stone City’s branding apart, and later became integral to Matron’s subdued-but-chic design, merch and online voice. Prior to Stone City, da Silva brewed throughout Ottawa, early on at The Clocktower, and with this writer at Beyond the Pale. Rounding out the trio, Nettleton is no stranger to restaurants: she’s been a force in the Ottawa beer scene for quite some time: working as a sales rep for Nickel Brook Brewing Co. earned her the respect of many restaurateurs seeking great pints.
Together, these three good friends embarked upon a journey of their own: building out a brewery to highlight all the things they’ve loved about the industry and leaving behind the chaff that can get people down and burn them out. They used quality local ingredients and made small runs of beer the team was proud to put out. Half a decade in, with the dust finally settling for small businesses post-pandemic, they feel as though they’re ready to continue forging the path they started with full dedication, ability and, most important, stability. The gang’s main takeaways moving into year six are: Expect the unexpected, and slow down and focus on what’s important.
With the cost of goods forever rising, running a profitable business gets tighter and tighter; having the right structures in play to ensure efficiency and productivity is paramount. Conversely, providing staff with downtime, a healthy work-life balance and benefits are, thankfully, becoming normalized. When the world went topsy-turvy during the pandemic, the Matron team had already had staff-facing foundations in place.
“It was kind of the reason we wanted to burden [ourselves with] owning our own business. Because we had worked at so many places that were just so unhealthy,” Jones explains. “We definitely foolishly thought we kind of had some idea of what we were getting into because we had put time into learning it.” Their background and preparation suggested that opening wouldn’t be delving into the unknown, but rather focusing on good beer and maintaining a healthy and fulfilling work environment.
It was this past January when the team posted a heartfelt and down-to-earth message on their Instagram: “We’re currently navigating some tricky waters (and we know we’re not alone). We are down to a skeleton crew... We want to stick around for more good times with you and need your help to keep us a reality. Buy beer, send mercy.” The extreme push and pull of the holiday season flowing into dreary January doldrums (on the heels of five years of varying and significant difficulties) was cause for them to make their sentiments public. These talks were happening behind closed doors with other business owners and after work in the brewhouse, but Jones felt the need to raise the awareness to the general public.
Matron's taproom always served as a hub for pints and conversation, but it’s during these moments that it found true community. The surrounding towns, people and small business rallied behind the brewery, full of understanding and support — both financial and spiritual. A lot of folks messaged their condolences and shared similar sentiments regarding their workplace woes. Thanks to the community, the difficult times were ameliorated by the overwhelming support. Jones, Nettleton and da Silva were re-energized to focus and keep Matron both afloat and moving forward.
The pillars of good business that Jones, da Silva and Nettleton hold true remain, but their definitions have shifted. Locals and fair-weather visitors have different needs, and bridging that gap isn’t as simple as forcing a blanket ideology or service style. Taking their foot off the gas and honing their approach, reflecting upon their hospitality roots have all been necessary. While the tasting room remains open daily during the summer and shoulder seasons, winter hours are reserved for weekends.
For a long time, the co-owners took care of the brewery, the team, taproom and kitchen themselves while raising young children. Taking on such responsibilities felt like the only way to move forward, and despite their ability to do so, it felt overwhelming and Sisyphean: there was always something that needed tending. Operating foodservice is a wholly different beast than running a brewery that they had been preparing for. Their vision was “always to have a space to host different food vendors and different chefs,” da Silva says.
Starting with pasta and sandwiches put out by friend-of-the brewery chef Martin Brzozowski (who later opened Onesta, his own restaurant), over the past five years several chefs with several specialties and vibes have rolled through to making food with a Middle Eastern twist, which da Silva loved, especially as an option for pairing with beer. Needless to say, the team has great ins with wonderful chefs. But running a restaurant took away from the team’s initial focus, and a readjustment was necessary.
Enter longtime friend and chef Charlotte Langley. They’d known her well since her days at the helm of Whalesbone’s intimate Bank Street location, and had kept in touch throughout her own rise through the ranks. It was over Sunday dinners amongst friends that the taproom kitchen blossomed from a fun idea into fruition. Chef Char’s Snack Shack was born.
If her name sounds familiar, it should. She was the brain behind Scout Canning, a line of sustainably caught Canadian canned fish products at your favourite cute grocery store. Originally from Prince Edward Island, Langley has cooked on both coasts, in Toronto and Ottawa, and most recently has laid roots in the County. A seafaring soul, she brings East Coast hospitality to the fore — thoughtful dishes and perfectly cooked seafood, all served with a hearty and joyous disposition.
Outside of the kitchen, too, she leads the charge in building better business models for food through collaboration and community. Recently having launched an incubator and food fund, Langley Foods, she hopes to help build and promote Canadian brands “that have positive impacts on people and planet,” she says excitedly. “We have aligned with some really beautiful community members to get this started.”
Her seasonal residency in the Matron kitchen is one that she is excited about on many fronts — great food and beer in a beautiful setting goes without saying. However, she’s using this opportunity as a springboard to raise capital and keep a friend Jake Taylor (former chef and owner of Toronto’s TuckShop) employed and in a position of operations and project management alongside Chef Char’s Snack Shack day-to-day operation.
The food, ranging from lobster rolls to deluxe pizza subs, is meant to entice and evoke childhood summer nostalgia. Sit in the sun, grab a bite and a beer, and take in the County’s slow and quiet beauty. At the time of writing, the Snack Shack is open Friday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to close.
“This felt like the perfect opportunity to come together and share both of our passions and our life’s works,” Langley says. Jones’ own sentiments echo this notion. Passion, especially in the hospitality industry, trumps all. Knowledge and skill are necessary, but the drive to want to entertain, host and treat guests pushes a brewery or restaurant from good to great. Collaborating with like-minded individuals allows everyone to focus entirely on their craft, while uplifting one another, to the benefit of all. It’s an important lesson that Jones, da Silva and Nettleton have applied and re-applied. In the whirlwind first five, they’ve gone through more than pre-pandemic businesses may have in their entire existence. With five years of experience behind them, they’re approaching the next half decade through clear eyes, malleable and ready for it all.
Matron Fine Beer
65 Barker’s Lane, Bloomfield, Prince Edward County
matronfinebeer.ca | 613.393.9195 | @matronfinebeer
