Distillerie Mariana to open new downtown facility
The company's facilities, which will be open to the public, will cover half of the new L'Ouvrage agri-food innovation center.
The construction and renovation work required for Mariana to set up at L'Ouvrage began in mid-April and occupancy is set for spring 2022. The rehabilitation and transformation of the former industrial site will require investments of more than C$14m (US$11.5m).
Distillerie Mariana has obtained a loan for C$800,000 (US$660,000) from the Fonds régionaux de solidarité FTQ Mauricie to support its growth.
L'Ouvrage will be the site of the distillery's sole production facilities, where spirits are created, distilled, prepared and bottled. Visitors will be able to observe the production process and learn about the world of alcohol, its history and its chemistry.
A cocktail club with a terrace will offer visitors an opportunity to taste the spirits. Visitors will also be able to participate in an immersive experience in the distillery's cellar, where barrels of whisky and rum made with Québec grains are aged, and even sample the spirits directly from the barrels. Lastly, a boutique will offer spirits for sale along with mixology products to reproduce the cocktails on offer at home.
"Since its establishment in 2015, Mariana's products have been welcomed by customers. Now, it's our turn to welcome them. When I acquired the distillery in 2019, I really wanted to make it a place where people could come and experience something memorable. Mariana's story is currently being written, and for me, it's clear that its reach will soon surpass our borders," said the company's owner, Philippe Leblanc.
The L'Ouvrage agri-food innovation center is the flagship project of the entrepreneurial district Halo Trois-Rivières.
"Mariana's vision is perfectly in line with what we envision for L'Ouvrage, one that is based on collaboration, innovation and community engagement. We couldn't have wished for a better first tenant," said Trois-Rivières Mayor Jean Lamarche.
Leblanc added, "My business is dynamic, young and innovative, and that's exactly the picture I have of Trois-Rivières and its city center."
Founded in 2015 in Louiseville, a town in the Mauricie region, Distillerie Mariana is a part of the Québec craft distillery market. Mariana is the Latin word for black spruce, the emblematic symbol of Québec's boreal forest and the aromatics found in the nature-inspired Canopée gin.
