For today’s episode of the Let’s Meet For a Beer Podcast, I met up with Troy Kamphuis-Finnigan (Founder, Rapid Ascent Brewery) & Michael Wood (President, Rok Glacier Water). We discuss how all of the pieces of their really cool puzzle fit together – Fortress Mountain, KPOW Cat Skiing, Rok Glacier Water, and Rapid Ascent Brewery.
Troy has over 20 years of experience in the beverage industry and established Rapid Ascent Brewery in 2016. He built the brewery with a long-term growth strategy in mind – his goal was to “create and build quality brands that don’t chase trends but provide quality, value, and consistency.”
Michael Wood has degrees in forestry and environmental science – so he knows a thing or two about water! He also loves skiing and is a director at Eagle Pass Heliski in Revelstoke. Mike connected with his friend Thomas Heath, Managing Director of Fortress Mountain, to commercialize their unique water source available to the resort through Rok Glacier Water.
After researching how to properly package the water they partnered up with Troy who joined the Rok team as a director. Their focus is now on distributing the purest water (and beer) in the world to consumers with a focus on sustainability. One example of this – their choice to package the water in aluminum cans, rather than plastic bottles, due to the infinite recyclability of aluminum.
Their motto is “flows here – not flown here”. Rok Glacier Water is creating local jobs using environmentally friendly and sustainable practices. Revenue from the water, and the craft beer produced with the water, will be used to fund the redevelopment of Fortress Ski Resort, ongoing land reclamation efforts, educational grants and more.
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