'Pints for people': Arcadia brewery launching new community-minded membership program

A local brewery says it wants to use beer to better its community.

Arcadia Brewing Co. is launching a new membership program it says will allow the company to donate all its monthly net profits to local charities.

The new program, called Time for Kindness, will offer members discounts and incentives while the membership model will allow the brewery to pay off debt and reinvest in the community.

Owner and CEO Darren McGeown said Arcadia has always been a strong supporter of local charities and initiatives.

During his own volunteer work – seeing the difference even small acts of kindness can make – McGeowan said he was inspired to do more.

"Being out there every week, and engaging with community members and realizing that there's a lot more to life," he said. "We're kind of talking about pints for profit and we want to kind of turn that into pints for people."

McGeown said membership fees will cover expenses like salaries while Arcadia's profits go into a "kindness fund" earmarked for a monthly cause chosen by a board of volunteers.

The first featured cause will be the Water Warriors, a charity supporting vulnerable Edmontonians through outreach and harm reduction.

"We when we talked about doing grassroots causes in Edmonton, Water Warriors are the prime example," McGeown said. "They're out there in the streets, checking on people for Naloxone kits and checking for people with overdoses, and they're just engaging with the community."

Arcadia is currently running a promotion in support of the Ben Stelter Foundation, with $2 from every four-pack of West Coast IPA donated to it. That promotion will run until April 1, when the new program begins.

Memberships will go live on the Arcadia website Monday. 

Members can choose one of three tiers ranging from $100 to $1,000 a year, with monthly or annual payments available.