Even before the pandemic, Bilodeau
saw how Heaven Hill Brands treated and
cared for its employees, including giving
donations to local charities that improve
their employees’ communities, as well
as offering charitable support for educa-tion,
cultural enrichment, and health and
well-being. In Lethbridge, Heaven Hill
Brands made a $10,000 donation to their
United Way after purchasing Black Velvet
Canadian Whisky.
That public-spirited attitude extends to
the natural environment as well. Bilodeau
says their collective goal is to keep their
materials out of the landfill and so far have
made 95 per cent of their material landfill-free.
In fact, Black Velvet’s recycling pro-gram
is so well maintained and robust, the
City of Lethbridge sent staff to see precisely
what the distillery does to accomplish this
exceptional feat.
For many companies, COVID-19 has
made the future murky. For Bilodeau, he is
optimistic looking at Black Velvet Canadian
Whisky’s future. Rather ironically, he sees
the distillery’s acquisition by an American
company as exactly what Black Velvet
needs to regain its popularity in Canada,
despite being a staple in the U.S., and
Europe. While the previous company didn’t
prioritize advertising in Canada, he says
Heaven Hill Brands will bring the smooth
taste of Black Velvet back into the mouths
of Canadians.
“With Heaven Hill Brands purchasing
us and the investment they’re putting into
the brand both in the marketing and physi-cal
assets of Lethbridge – is nothing short of
positive,” said Bilodeau. “It’s positive for our
future, the future of the brand, the future of
the employees and the future of the site. It
creates such a bright outlook.”
D I S T I L L E R Y P R O F I L E
PACKAGE DESIGN • BRANDING • E-C OMMERCE
16 § POURED CANADA § www.poured.ca
/www.poured.ca
