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The following profile looks at one of several Chamber members featured in the summer edition of our INSIGHT Magazine promoting tourism in Our Own Backyard

Turning a dream into reality is something many would-be entrepreneurs long to achieve.

Mike Hruden is one of those entrepreneurs who has managed to do just that as part of the creative team of business leaders behind Four Fathers Brewing Co.

The Cambridge-based brewery/restaurant, housed in a former washing machine factory a stone’s throw away from downtown Hespeler Village, has quickly become a popular destination by offering not only a tasty variety of craft brews and food, but an extraordinary event space and an indoor multi-court professional pickleball facility.

“I always dreamed of this little box of a craft brewery,” laughs Mike, seated on a comfortable couch in the lounge area adjacent to the restaurant which encompasses about 5,000-square-feet. “But my partners dream a lot bigger than I do and I’m very happy they did because of what we’ve built here.”

It’s been open for seven years on Guelph Avenue, first as a tap room and retail store carrying a variety of products, including t-shirts and hats, with a food truck onsite for about a year prior to the kitchen being constructed.

But Four Fathers’ roots date back several years before that when a mutual love of hockey and watching their young sons play on the same Centre Wellington team brought together Mike and his partners John Kissick, Martin Castellan and James Tyo.

Each took a position on team, including coach, manager, and trainer, sparking a friendship based on their mutual admiration for craft breweries. 

“Whenever the parents got together after a game we’d go to each other’s houses and while the kids played downstairs, we were the four that would bring whatever craft beers were around back then,” says Mike, noting at the time few existed compared to the more than 300 plus breweries that now operate in Ontario. “We were having a good time tasting and talking about the beer and talked about how it would be fun having a brewery – even though it was always my dream.”

Dedication and hard work paid off

The four took the plunge in 2015, each coming from a variety of backgrounds. Kissick is a fine arts professor at the University of Guelph, Tyo is the president of EB Games Canada, and Castellan is a partner and CAO of Skyline, a Guelph-based commercial investment firm.

Mike did sales and marketing for an Elmira-based cell tower manufacturer called Trylon and jokes it wasn’t hard for him to step away to pursue his ‘dream’ job.

“I always joke that they had better jobs,” he laughs, reminiscing about those early days when Four Fathers Brewing operated from a renovated barn just north of Rockwood.

Their dedication and hard work paid off and it wasn’t long before their brew wound up in the LCBO, along with places in Guelph and Waterloo Region, prompting the ‘hockey dads’ to find larger digs. 

They looked at properties in several communities, including Elora and Guelph, before setting their sights on the former W.A. Kribs Co. Ltd. factory at 125 Guelph Ave. in Hespeler. The family-owned company, which began in the 1880s, began manufacturing electric and gas-powered washing machine in 1914 and became Simplicity Products Ltd. in 1948, before becoming a division of McGraw-Edison Canada in 1970 and later relocating to Sheldon Drive four years later before going into receivership in 1981.

“Partner, Martin (Castellan) found this space and it was perfect because on this side of Cambridge you’re really close to everything,” says Mike. “We couldn’t have found a better spot. I love being part of Hesepler Village and we’ve been so well supported by the local community.”

The transformation of the space, which encompasses about 90,000 square feet, involved a lot of elbow grease. Mike describes the many days and weekends of hard work that it took to sandblast the oil and paint from the woodwork and floors, bringing the heritage building back into shape. 

Additional attractions in the works

“Sometimes I don’t think we step back enough to appreciate we we’ve done,” he says, describing how Four Fathers continues to evolve.

This includes the addition of its very popular and versatile event space the IV Loft on the upper level, its Ontario Disc Sports Association sanctioned disc golf course, and the creation of the Four Fathers Brewing Pickleball Society which continues to gain traction since the six courts opened in January 2024.

“We have such great membership, and the demand is there,” says Mike, adding the idea took shape after the partners saw the immense popularity of the game during a visit to Naples, FL., home of the U.S. Open Pickleball Championships. “We thought it was awesome because it’s such an accessible game, anybody can play, and you can feel like you’re a true athlete.”

They transformed a large storage area behind the production brewery into a pickleball oasis, attracting both beginners and pros.

“It’s really helped us because since COVID, the brewing and restaurant industry has been unstable, so it adds to the stability here and helps diversify our portfolio,” he says.

In terms of the future, Mike says plans are in the works for additional attractions, including the potential of bike rentals and a performance tent. 

“We’re not just a tap room or a restaurant anymore,” he says. “I consider this as a destination.”

But he acknowledges the stresses that go along with operating a business in this sector, referring to rising operating costs and a barrage of taxes and regulations that permeate the craft brewing industry.

Solutions for every roadblock

“We’re required to sell through the LCBO, which comes with its own set of challenges—it’s not always a level playing field,” says Mike, emphasizing the importance of doing thorough research before starting a business. “That said, we understood the landscape going in, so there’s no point in complaining. You need to know what your battles are likely to be, so spend time with people already in the industry. That way, you’ll go in with your eyes open and avoid any major surprises.”

He also believes that roadblocks should never stand in the way of chasing your dreams.

“There’s a solution for everything. That’s always been our mindset,” he says, reflecting on the pride of reaching one of their first milestones at The Breadalbane Inn in Fergus, a favourite pub among the partners.

“I had made that our very first sale, but the real moment—the one that hit home—was sitting there, drinking our beer from a Four Fathers’ glass, and seeing our tap handle on the line. That was incredible.”

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