Durham College (DC) is proudly congratulating research partner Partake Brewing (Partake) for successfully securing a deal for its non-alcoholic craft beer, during the March 15 episode of CBC’s hit show Dragons’ Den.

Company Founder Ted Fleming stepped into the den with his brew in-hand, ready to offer samples to convince the dragons to invest in his business – a locally made, non-alcoholic craft beer that brings all the things that make craft beer great to non-alcoholic beer drinkers including taste, variety, authenticity, creativity, and passion.

One of the first partners to work with DC’s Centre for Craft Brewing Innovation at the Whitby campus, Partake secured a deal with dragon Manjit Minhas for $300,000 for 50 per cent of his company after she praised the IPA she sampled for having just the right bitterness along with beautiful body and colour.

Fleming started the company after being diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, which meant he had to eliminate alcohol from his diet. It was good for his health but he missed beer and while there were non-alcoholic options available, the quality and variety were just not the same as their alcoholic counterparts so it became his mission to remedy the situation. Partake was the end result.

The company’s collaboration with DC and its Office of Research Services, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ORSIE) began in October 2016. Funded through a $25,000 Engage grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and using its brew lab and line, ORSIE researchers worked with the company to develop Partake’s IPA recipe, the same beer sampled in the den – a made-in-Canada craft brew that has low or no alcoholic content yet retains a true beer taste.

Plans are in place for Partake and the CCBI to continue their collaboration as new recipes and styles of non-alcoholic beer are developed.

For more information about Partake, visit https://www.drinkpartake.com.

For more information about the DC Centre for Craft Brewing Innovation, visit www.durhamcollege.ca/ccbi.