Crocus

Maple Leaf Distillers has signed a $10-million deal to produce and bottle Caesar coolers with the Keg restaurant brand. The Winnipeg-based producer of wines and spirits made its first shipments of The Keg Spicy Caesar and Classic Caesar coolers to liquor stores from Ontario to British Columbia yesterday. It's the kickoff to a three-year deal with T... oronto-based Keg Brands Inc., whose mandate is to develop Keg-branded products for the retail market. Maple Leaf president Costas Ataliotis said the deal is one of the biggest the company has ever signed, but he expects it to go well past the $10-million, 2.5-million-bottles per year minimum. "From what we've seen so far, we'll exceed that by three-fold. We've already had 40,000 cases of initial orders and we've had replacement orders from the get-go. We think it's going to be a star product," he said in an interview yesterday. He said the Keg contract would push revenues up by $3 million to $4 million a year to about $55 million annually. Two years ago, Maple Leaf brought in a total of $5 million. Manitoba consumers should be able to pick up Keg Caesars in liquor stores beginning early next week, he added. The added production demands have forced Maple Leaf to start up a third shift, but it's having trouble finding enough workers, Ataliotis said. "We have more orders that we can produce, the Keg is pushing us hard. It's a big problem, but it's a nice problem to have," he said. Within the next three weeks, Ataliotis said, Maple Leaf's employee base is expected to jump by one-third to 80 people. Ataliotis said Maple Leaf has been working with the Keg for several months in the development and fine-tuning of the Caesar recipes. He said it's a very sophisticated and delicate process because of the pasteurization required for the tomato juice. As an introductory offer, Maple Leaf will include a packet of Caesar salt. "All you need is a glass, some ice, a stick of celery and you won't recognize the difference from a Caesar at the Keg," he said. Stu Funnell, chief ...Read More