Welcome the Official Website of the
Fermenters Guild of British Columbia
FGBC Mission Statement
The Fermenters Guild of British Columbia is dedicated to the success and growth of the “ferment on premises” industry in B.C. and the positive promotion of responsible beer and wine consumption.
Through its member stores, the FGBC fosters professionalism, ethical business practices and continuous improvement of the wine and beer making experience on behalf of our customers.
The FGBC strives to work closely and cooperatively with provincial and federal government ministries and departments, while diligently representing the needs and rights of consumers to make beer and wine within a professional small business environment.
The Ferment-On Premise Inustry
There has been a gradual evolution of consumers' appreciation of beer and wines. The clients of the U-brews and U-Vint businesses may have been initially attracted to the promise of a good quality product at reasonable prices. They now want to make beers comparable to microbreweries and wines approaching those in commercial production, still at a affordable prices. Many of these clients have become knowledgeable about beers and wines to the point that they are demanding more of their U-brews and U-vints.
Vintners want a greater selection of wine kits and variety. They want those economical 4-week kits for light summer wines and backyard BBQs, but in addition, there is a demand for specialty juices for 6 and 8-week wines as well as limited release juices for high-end wine. Cider, coolers and wine mists are other requests. Vintner clients are experimenting with divergent constituents. The balance of oak and fruitiness can be changed. Charred oak, blond oak, tannins and sugars can influence the final wine made. Elderberries can be used to enhance the colour and body of a red wine, banana chips can change the "mouth" of a wine.
Brewers are investigating the variations of bitterness, sweetness, colour, bitterness, and mouth-feel. Instead of a fixed recipe, they are altering their constituent hops, the malted cereals and sugars to get specific characteristics. They are making a micro-brewery beer at a fraction of the cost of those lagers, ales and pilseners.
FGBC Membership Benefits
Merchant Fee Savings through Global Payments:
• Visa and MasterCard credit card transaction rates of 1.57%
• Debit Card transaction rates of 7ў per transaction
• POS rentals for only $32.00/mo. (3 mos. free rental for new merchants)
Gasoline and Utility Savings:
• Gasoline discount of 2.9 cents per litre at Esso stations
• Long distance telephone rates of 3.5 cents per minute in North America,
• CEG Natural Gas savings program
Savings on Accommodations from Accent Inns:
• Preferred rates for FGBC members at all BC locations
Direct Membership Benefits:
• FREE entry to the 2008 AGM and Trade Show March 9 and 10.
• FREE subscription to WineMaker Magazine
