Labatt Breweries of Canada is shifting production from beer to hand sanitizer across the country including its Goodridge & Williams distilling location in Delta. This move is a part of Labatt’s Canadian Disaster Relief Program and will mark the first time that the company’s distilleries will be producing hand sanitizer.
Labatt brewing facilities in Edmonton, Montreal and London will also be used to produce hand sanitizer. Labatt’s Disaster Relief Program was established in 2012 and has been used to bring 460,000 cans of water to Canadians in need during the Fort McMurray wildfires and the 2018 floods in eastern Canada.
Initial production is expected to produce 50,000 bottles of hand sanitizers, which will be donated to Food Banks Canada as well as to frontline workers and partners in the restaurant and bar industry.
"This is a national crisis like we haven't seen in our lifetimes and we feel an obligation to do everything we can to help through our Disaster Relief Program," said Charlie Angelakos, Vice President, Legal and Corporate Affairs, Labatt Breweries of Canada. "Our goal is to get this much needed sanitizer into the hands of those who need it most, especially individuals on the front lines serving their communities as we all pull together."
Labatt is not the only brewer contributing to this cause, yesterday the provincial government permitted distilleries to produce hand sanitizer and some have donated excess alcohol to third parties who can produce hand sanitizer.
