Torchlight Brewing

What Torchlight Brewing does

Torchlight Brewing Co. is a privately-held craft brewery headquartered at 125 Hall Street in Nelson, British Columbia, founded in June 2014 by Josh Secord and Craig Swendson. The company operates a single-location micro-brewery (upgraded from a nano-brewery in May 2017) and retails a rotating portfolio of approximately a dozen SKUs spanning IPAs (Idyllic BC IPA, Awesome Flavour), lagers (Level Up Lager), pilsners (Noise Cult Pilsner), wheat and fruit beers (Big Orange Beer, Rhubarbarian), a schwarzbier (Black Metal Logo), seasonal ales (On Tour Crimson Ale, Oh Baby It's Cold Outside Winter Ale), and a cider (Soma Craft Cider). Core production relies on conventional nano/micro-brewery equipment with no proprietary technology beyond standard craft brewing methods, augmented by an in-house kitchen operation that smokes and cures its own bacon and offers burgers, wings, poutine, tots, pretzels, and nachos. The business generates revenue through four streams: direct on-premise taproom and lounge sales (including food), retail packaged-beer distribution in 4-packs and 8-packs (e.g., the Fruit Fetish sampler), online ordering for brewery pickup, and ticketed events. The primary customer segment is local craft beer enthusiasts and visitors in Nelson, BC, with a secondary segment of retail packaged-beer consumers in the broader Kootenay region; no pricing tiers, enterprise contracts, or named corporate accounts are disclosed.

Name

Torchlight Brewing

Legal name

Torchlight Brewing Co.

Website

https://torchlightbrewing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Torchlight Brewing Co. is a privately-held craft micro-brewery in Nelson, British Columbia, founded in 2014. It produces a rotating portfolio of IPAs, lagers, pilsners, fruit and seasonal ales for on-premise taproom sales, regional retail distribution in 4-packs and 8-packs, and a food/lounge service.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Beer

NAICS

Breweries (31212), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082), Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAFALAA

Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service)

Travel & Hospitality/Foodservice & Beverage (Restaurants, Cafes, Bars)/Breweries, Wineries & Distilleries (Taprooms/Tasting Rooms)

SECONDARYCRADAIAA

Beer Brewing & Brands

Consumer Products & Retail/Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Manufacturing & Brands/Alcoholic Beverages (Beer, Wine, Spirits) Manufacturing & Brands

SECONDARYTHAFAEAG

Craft Beer Bars & Taprooms

Travel & Hospitality/Foodservice & Beverage (Restaurants, Cafes, Bars)/Bars, Pubs & Nightlife Venues

Keywords

• Craft beer brewing
• Microbrewery operations
• Taproom lounge service
• Fruit beer production
• Beer retail distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Nelson

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Beer Sales at Brewery: Direct taproom sales of craft beers including IPAs, lagers, pilsners, wheat ales, winter ales, and fruit beers. Sold by pint, flight, and in 4-packs and 8-packs.
2. Food Service: Full food menu served in the brewery lounge including burgers, wings, poutines, salads, and other pub fare.
3. Retail Beer Distribution: Canned and bottled beer sold through retail stores in 4-packs and 8-packs. Also available through online store for pickup or delivery.
4. Event Tickets: Event ticket sales through ticketing platform for brewery events.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Torchlight Brewing is a craft micro-brewery that brews, serves, and distributes its own line of craft beers — including IPAs, lagers, pilsners, schwarzbiers, Nordic-inspired fruit beers, winter ales, and ciders. The company operates a taproom and full lounge in Nelson, BC, offering on-site pint and flight sales, packaged retail beer in 4-packs and 8-packs, an online pickup store, ticketed brewery events, and an in-house kitchen serving pub fare built around house-smoked bacon.

Product overview

Torchlight Brewing Co. is a craft brewery in Nelson, BC founded in 2014 by two friends, Josh and Craig. The company operates a micro-brewery with a full lounge and restaurant. Their product portfolio consists of craft beers including IPAs (Awesome Flavour, Idyllic BC IPA), lagers (Level Up Lager), pilsners (Noise Cult Pilsner), a schwarzbier (Black Metal Logo), fruit beers (Rhubarbarian, Big Orange Beer), seasonal ales (On Tour Crimson Ale, Oh Baby It's Cold Outside Winter Ale), and ciders (Soma Craft Cider). Products are available for on-site consumption, in cans and packs for retail, with offerings like the Fruit Fetish 8-pack sampler. The brewery also serves a food menu featuring in-house smoked bacon, pub fare, and casual dining.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Awesome Flavour Hazy IPA A super juicy, hazy IPA at 7% alc/vol, sold on tap and as part of the 8-pack IPA sampler. Targeted at craft beer enthusiasts seeking bold, modern hop-forward styles.
• Level Up Lager A smooth, light lager at 4.5% alc/vol positioned as a thirst-quenching easy drinker. Sold on tap, in 4-packs and 8-packs at retail, and promoted as a Fruit Fetish 8-pack flavour option.
• On Tour Crimson Ale A crimson ale inspired by a mythic story featuring a gilded axe and horn of metal, described as fine and dark. Available on tap at the brewery.
• Rhubarbarian A light Nordic Kviek ale packed with strawberry, rhubarb, and raspberry puree at 4.5% alc/vol, positioned as light and refreshing. Sold on tap and as part of the Fruit Fetish 8-pack sampler.
• Noise Cult Pilsner A refreshing pilsner at 5% alc/vol produced in collaboration with Noise Cult Productions, with partial proceeds supporting a touring fund for local Kootenay music acts. Available on tap at the brewery.
• Black Metal Logo Schwarzbier A schwarzbier described as dark as a sunless Nordic winter, positioned as refreshing and crushable at 5% alc/vol. Sold on tap at the brewery.
• Big Orange Beer A Nordic Orange Wheat Ale tribute to Nelson's iconic Big Orange Bridge, featuring orange puree, coriander, and bio-transformed hops at 5.2% alc/vol. Sold on tap and as part of the Fruit Fetish 8-pack sampler.
• "Oh Baby It's Cold Outside" Winter Ale A rich and dark winter warmer ale spiced with coriander, cardamom, cocoa, and vanilla at 6.5% alc/vol. Sold on tap at the brewery as a seasonal release.
• Idyllic BC IPA An IPA featuring Cascade, Chinook, and Cashmere hops, described as bold and bright at 6% alc/vol. Sold on tap and as part of the brewery's 8-pack IPA sampler.
• Soma Craft Cider A craft cider at 6% alc/vol served on additional taps, providing a non-beer alcoholic option for taproom and lounge guests.
• Fruit Fetish 8-pack A fruited beer sampler 8-pack featuring a curated selection of Torchlight's fruit beers for summer consumption, sold wherever Torchlight beer is retailed.
• Brewery Taproom and Food Lounge Service On-site taproom lounge at 125 Hall Street, Nelson BC, serving pints, flights, and packaged beer alongside a full food menu featuring house-smoked bacon, burgers, wings, poutine, tots, pretzels, nachos, salads, and other pub fare for dine-in guests.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Noise Cult ProductionsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaboration for Noise Cult Pilsner - a refreshing pilsner with bright character perfect for music events. Partial proceeds go to a touring fund managed by Noise Cult Productions to help local music acts spread killer music from the Kootenays to the world.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Molson Coors Beverage Company: Global brewer with a major Canadian footprint. Indirectly comparable as the dominant macro-brewer whose scale, distribution power, and pricing set the competitive backdrop for BC craft operators like Torchlight.
• Sleeman Breweries: One of Canada's largest national brewers with a craft-and-mainstream portfolio. Operates broadly across the Canadian beer market including BC, competing with Torchlight on retail shelf and on-premise accounts at a much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Phillips Brewing & Malting Co. One of the largest independent craft breweries in BC, based in Victoria. Directly comparable as a BC craft producer with packaged retail distribution, taproom, and a broad portfolio of IPAs, lagers, and experimental styles.
• Russell Brewing Company: BC craft brewery (Surrey) with broad packaged retail distribution and on-premise taproom. Comparable on production scale slightly above Torchlight, with overlapping packaged-beer channels.
• Arrowhead Brewing Company: Independent craft brewery operating in the Kootenay region of BC. Comparable in scale and model (small-batch craft beer with on-site taproom), directly competing for local Kootenay consumer dollars.
• Stanley Park Brewing: BC-based craft brewery with a broad lineup of lagers, pales, and IPAs distributed across BC and Western Canada. Comparable as a packaged-led BC craft competitor in retail channels.
• Nelson Brewing Company: Craft brewery based in Nelson, BC — the same city as Torchlight. Direct competitor for both on-premise taproom traffic and regional retail distribution, with overlapping product categories (ales, lagers, seasonal offerings).
• Four Winds Brewing: BC-based craft brewery (Delta) known for hop-forward IPAs and farmhouse/sour styles. Comparable as a BC craft competitor for tap handles, retail shelf space, and craft enthusiast mindshare.
• Tofino Brewing Company: Vancouver Island craft brewery combining a brewery with a full restaurant/taproom. Very comparable business model to Torchlight's brewpub-with-lounge format, with tourism-driven foot traffic.
• Parallel 49 Brewing Company: Established BC craft brewery (Vancouver) with strong regional retail presence and an experimental product lineup. Comparable on product innovation, packaged retail strategy, and core craft-beer target customer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/brewtorchlight
• Instagraminstagram.com/torchlightbrewing
• Xx.com/brew_torchlight
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/torchlight-brewing-co

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Torchlight Brewing