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Gatineau-based distillery opens new facility in Hawkesbury with plans for U.S. expansion

October 2, 2024

Artist in Residence Distillerie (or AiR) has completed the first of several new buildings it plans to construct as part of an expansive development just an hour east of Ottawa.

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A Gatineau-based distillery has officially launched a new facility in Hawkesbury, marking its first foray into the Ontario market as it also undertakes plans to expand south of the border. Artist in Residence Distillerie (or AiR) has completed the first of several new buildings it plans to construct as part of an expansive development just an hour east of Ottawa. The site represents a $10-million investment, according to the company. Founder Pierre Mantha said he wasn’t picky about where the project landed, as long as it was near Ottawa. “I was looking at Hawkesbury, I was looking at Casselman, I was looking at Arnprior,” he said. “That was my window and this one just came back. I think we got 15 acres and it was done in a handshake.” Mantha said the first building, at about 160,000 square feet, represents the first stage of a multi-stage development that could result in as many as 12 separate buildings on the land in as little as 12 years. As OBJ reported in January 2023, Mantha started the distillery eight years ago, with plans to keep things small and local. The first facility was a 40,000-square-foot operation in Gatineau, tucked between Autoroute 50 and Gatineau’s executive airport. The name Artist in Residence Distillerie is a play on the proximity to the airport and the distillery’s craft identity. Launched in 2016, AiR Gatineau’s products quickly became one of the top sellers in Quebec’s crowded craft gin market. While the local part of his ultimate vision remains true, Mantha said the company gained more momentum than expected, allowing it to expand its original Gatineau footprint to three buildings. But that hasn’t been enough space to do everything the company wants to do. “With Gatineau, I always say we didn’t know what the hell we were doing,” he said. “I did all the mistakes there and we learned from them. In Gatineau, we only got four acres.” The new Hawkesbury facility will allow the distillery to access the Ontario market, while also broadening its product range, which includes a variety of alcohols, from gins and vodkas to liqueurs. In addition to the new facility in Hawkesbury, Mantha said the company has purchased land across the border in Harborcreek, Pa. Regardless of where the company expands, Mantha said the priority is to continue focusing on the local flavour of the product. “What we want to do is a local product,” he said. “Everyone wants to afford local, but sometimes prices get really high. We wanted the distillery to be something people can be proud of. This will be Ontario’s distillery. This will be a state-of-the-art distillery that is a local product, locally grown, at a good, reasonable price.”