How Sheepdog Brew Co. is Building Their Business, Their Brand and the Cold Brew Category in Canada

A 15-year veteran of the Winnipeg Police, Shawn Black and his partner always wanted to do something on the side that was more positive. “Because if you’ve ever called 911, it wasn’t because something was going well,” says Black. Having talked about different types of businesses, they ultimately landed on coffee. “Even just the smell of coffee in the car was enough to brighten our spirits.”

They started with hobby roasting, but ultimately landed on cold brew when the independent roasting scene got too crowded. Cold brew was new, different and a fringe product at the time — something that appealed to Black. When his partner decided to step away, Black remained committed to cold brew and has been growing the business, Sheep Dog Brew, ever since.

Building more than a business – creating an authentic brand

From the outset, Black wanted to create a strong and distinct brand. “I wanted to create a brand where it felt like a beer company, but it was coffee,” he explains. Black shares that the inspiration for Sheepdog’s brand was ‘like Tom Selleck driving an ’86 Ferrari — cool, masculine and retro.’

But for Black, branding wasn’t just about the image. Looking to establish a brand that reflected both his roots and had a distinct personality, Black was intentional about the brand’s character.

An army veteran and a current police officer with 15 years on the job, Black explains that the “Sheepdog” name is a tribute to his first responder, military background. “The Sheepdog lives amongst the sheep and protects them from the wolf,” he says. As a further nod to his roots, the actors in the recent Sheepdog commercial are all either cops or soldiers.

The branding permeates every aspect of their business, from their website, their merchandise, their packaging to their delivery vehicle — their Ford Bronco with a cool vintage wrap is instantly recognizable on the streets. Sheepdog also dominates Instagram in the city of Winnipeg, with 10,000 followers and 7,000 — 8,000 views on everything they post, leading them to have one of the most engaging brands in Manitoba.

A unique product and a distinct experience

Sheepdog offers three flagship coffee beverages, each with a different roast profile — from light to medium to dark. “We have a can for each type of coffee drinker,” says Black. With a facility dedicated to just making cold brew, they control everything from their brew time to their ingredients. “We roast in-house and brew within 72 hours of roasting — so it’s a fresh, premium coffee bean. We then do a true 20-hour brew time, so you get twice as much caffeine, but with none of the other stuff. It’s less acidic and easier on the body.” What’s more, they don’t add any flavours or mix sugars or dairy into their drinks, which makes their brews as natural as possible — gluten-free, dairy-free, organic and smooth.

Nitro-infused, the cold brew pours like a Guinness beer, and at their storefront location, they pour it on a draft system. Black explains that they offer more than a drink; they offer an experience that is distinctly in the cold brew space.

A thoughtful approach to business growth

After launching in July of 2023, Black opened a 3,000-square-foot facility, which he figured would be good enough for five years. “I’m already doing another capital raise because we’re outgrowing it,” he says. Sheepdog has reached roughly 200 retail locations in Manitoba and sell their concentrated coffee product to local bars and restaurants. “The espresso martini is viral drink right now, but it’s a hassle to make for bartenders as they are stuck making espresso shots when they should be mixing cocktails,” says Black. “So, we sell this bottled product, which has also been picked up by Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, who uses it in their bars and restaurants.”

Black also explains that the sober movement is driving volume, as more and more Canadians are drinking coffee or a mocktail instead of alcohol. “As more people are making a sober living choice, they want more non-alcoholic options.”

Black’s plan is to be a national business in the next five years but intends to grow cautiously. “We need the right systems in place so that we’re as efficient and strong as possible. Growth is great, but you can ruin relationships really fast if you’re not careful. In a town like Winnipeg, entrepreneurs specifically understand that we are heavily invested in relationships — you can’t just do something badly and disappear. Word travels insanely fast.”

Leveraging the growth of the category

While cold brew is a relatively new category in the coffee world, Sheepdog is capitalizing on the growth sparked by big coffee chains. “Tim Horton’s, McDonald’s, Starbucks and all the big players have been blasting out ad campaigns for cold brew,” explains Black, who says that cold brews have outpaced hot coffee for consumption in about 25 states. “It’s one of the fastest growing beverage categories.”  Sheepdog, meanwhile, catches the trickle-down effect of their efforts and don’t need to spend their money or efforts educating customers.

Like many entrepreneurs today, Black isn’t planning on quitting his day job just yet. He remains an active police officer and intends to pull double duty for the time being as he grows Sheepdog with the help of excellent staff, a thoughtful strategy and brand that his followers have come to love.

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