Canada's Top 100 Employers (2026) Magazine - Flipbook - Page 44
48
( 2026 )
SPONSOR CONTENT
Labatt fuels category growth with bold innovation
S
hawn Delaney, a
filtration group leader at
the hometown brewery
for Labatt Breweries of
Canada in London, Ont.,
can name five colleagues with a
similar story. “We all have at least
three generations of our families
who have worked at the brewery,”
says Delaney, a 35-year veteran
whose father was an employee
before him and whose son is
working there now. “Labatt isn’t
just a brewery — it’s a cornerstone
of Canadian culture, a legacy I’m
proud to be a part of.”
And yet, it can be as innovative
and nimble as a start-up. “We
have the power to do things
autonomously here,” Delaney
says. “I’m never micromanaged. I
can take different ideas from my
team, trial them and see if they
work. If they do, great; if not, we
just go back to the drawing board.”
That’s particularly true in the
burgeoning non-alcoholic sector.
“The growth in that market is
huge now. Some of our biggest
brands are branching into non-alc,
and it’s driving innovation for
all of us,” says Delaney. “Our
injection experts, our filter
experts, other team members —
we’re all constantly brainstorming
to find better ways to do things.”
At Labatt’s Toronto
headquarters, the company’s
innovation hub, vice-president
of marketing Andrew Oosterhuis
couldn’t agree more. “We keep
close watch on consumer
megatrends, one of which
centres around moderation,”
he says. “Gen Z are prioritizing
moderation while also re-shaping
socialization, especially when you
think about them coming of legal
drinking age during COVID and
their very different experience of
socialization.”
For Oosterhuis, consumers
looking for that balance have
opened a wide opportunity for
Labatt, as long as the 178-year-old
brewer takes the right innovative
steps to fill it. “An innovation like
Corona Cero gives consumers the
confidence that non-alcoholic
beer can deliver the same great
taste and premium experience
they expect from Corona. It’s
helped erase any doubts about
the quality of non-alc beer while
enabling the brand to become the
leading category option,” he says.
At Labatt, you have
the resources, the
brands and a clear
strategy to accomplish
great things. That’s
energizing for any
employee who is
ambitious and wants
to leave their mark.
— Andrew Oosterhuis
Vice-President Marketing
Shawn Delaney, filtration group leader in London, Ontario, at Labatt Breweries of Canada.
“Think of it in that very
Canadian experience, that tooshort window of summer, you
now can join your friends with
a Corona Cero that looks almost
identical to a Corona, with the
same lime ritual attached to it,
plus 30 per cent of your daily
vitamin D requirement which is
wonderful for a brand born on
the beach. That’s a great example
of innovation that delivers on a
consumer need with a relevant
proposition,” says Oosterhuis.
“Everyone on the marketing
team dedicates time each month
either in market talking to
consumers or having a focus
group panel discussion,” he says.
“And we want the ideas they
develop, whether they work out
