Fredericton’s Northside got collectively punched in the heart this week as TrailWay Brewing Co. suffered a break and entry on Wednesday, August 31st.
Protected by no more than a lock and a certain faith in humanity, TrailWay’s Main Street brewery was violated through their side door by some forceful means. Having smashed the glass of the door, the criminal(s) made their way in, choosing to pilfer cash from the register, and grabbing the small business’s laptops and external hard drive. They also made off with the company’s safe, and to add insult to injury, very likely spat in some of the glasses.
Fortunately the heart and lifeblood of Trailway, namely the brewing equipment and beer, remained untouched, showing a remarkable indifference to some delicious product. I’d recommend the Hugh John Hops IPA.
Fredericton Police were alerted Thursday morning after owner Dan Mason arrived to find the window smashed in.“We had called police and they called out forensics so he came and dusted for prints and took a look outside and up around our offices,” says Mason. “The police did a great and thorough job. I don’t expect to recover our things to be honest I’m sure they’re long gone, but at the very least hopefully they find who did it.”
Mason and fellow owner Jake Saunders have managed to pass off the unfortunate event with a fair measure of grace and stoicism, “Basically not a huge value, but the laptops contained a lot of hours of work. Spreadsheets with a lot of planning that will take many hours to rebuild unfortunately. Nothing that can’t be replaced or rebuilt. We will rebound no problem, especially with the support we’ve had from everyone.”
“Unfortunately we didn’t have much security. Being only a few months into business it was certainly on the to do list but we were a bit naive to keep putting it off. We have a company in today installing a nice alarm system.”
Mason says while they’re looking into a possible insurance claim, that the damage and loses might not be sufficient enough to warrant it, “It wasn’t a massive value of damage or goods so it may just end up being a hit to us.”
Fortunately members of the community have stepped up and reached out with support. Real Food Connections arrived with a hot lunch of Cream of Brocopeno soup to help get staff and community members alike through a tough day.
“The local food and craft beverage community is just that, a community. When my neighbor has something shitty happen its up to all of us to remind them that they are valued; that things will look up and that they are not alone,” says Levi Lawrence of Real Food Connections. “Its hard enough to start and operate a small business, I would have not lasted five months if I didn’t have the support of my peers and customers and paying it forward is the least I can do.”
Naturally, the best way to support TrailWay Brewing Co. is to show up and buy and pint or two. You can find them at 280 Main Street, Fredericton North, or visit them at www.TrailwayBrewing.com.