The Craft Lab, a microbrewing laboratory, started as a student capstone project in 2020 and has since expanded into a new space being developed at the University of Ottawa.
The lab will allow students to combine their chemical engineering knowledge with entrepreneurship. Students will develop their skills in critical thinking, teamwork, collaboration, communication and business.
A student team, uOttawa NanoBrew, is central to the Craft Lab. In November 2021, the team, composed of seven dedicated members, completed its first brew, in partnership with a local brewer. Members continue to work with community partners to practice their craft while the uOttawa space is under construction. They also help define what the future Craft Lab will look like.
“A student-led brewery is a dream. It gives giving students an opportunity to gain communication skills, applied experience and, most importantly, room to make mistakes and learn from each other.”
Jade Breau
— Fifth year chemical engineering student and uOttawa Nano Brew founder
Students interested in joining the project can do so by joining the uO Nano Brew team or contacting Professor Andrew Sowinski.
Our goal is for the Craft Lab to be fully student-operated once it opens.
Throughout the startup process, the uOttawa Nano Brew team has worked with community breweries, including Flora Hall and Beyond the Pale, to produce its initial batches of beer.
