Niagara College (NC) has officially tapped into a bold new chapter, distilling decades of leadership in Canadian beverage education into one powerful brand.
Called “NC Craft,” the new branding for the College’s wine, beer, spirits and cider was unveiled on May 27 at an exclusive launch event overlooking the on-campus vineyard – just steps away from NC’s Teaching Winery, Teaching Brewery and Teaching Distillery, which were all the first facilities of their kind in Canada.
This new brand aligns the college’s unique offerings of craft beverage products – wine, beer, spirits and cider – into a single, cohesive identity, reflecting the knowledge students gain, the guidance they receive from experts in their field and their focus on innovation and excellence as they learn to master their craft at NC. Reflecting this evolution, the Wine Visitor and Education Centre – the popular public retail and tasting hub for student-created products – will be renamed the Niagara College Craft Beverage Centre, to fully encompass the College’s diverse beverage enterprises.
Sean Kennedy, NC president, joined expert makers from NC’s beverage learning enterprises to pull back the curtain on NC Craft with a ceremonial sabering, cask tapping and cocktail shake-up. The new brand visually and strategically unifies the college’s world-renowned beverage learning enterprises with a cohesive product identity. Moving forward, student-created products across all three operations will proudly bear the NC Craft label.
“This marks a milestone moment of alignment for Niagara College and our trailblazing learning enterprises,” said Kennedy. “While our winery, brewery and distillery produce distinctly different products, they share the exact same foundation – with student learning at their very core. It is this unmatched, hands-on experience that truly makes NC a world-class destination for beverage education.”
The rebranding honours our proud history of innovation while elevating how we showcase the exceptional skills of our students to the marketplace.
Sean Coote, Vice-President of Partnership and Enterprises, Niagara College
Officially launched in 2002 (Teaching Winery), 2011 (Teaching Brewery) and 2018 (Teaching Distillery), NC’s trailblazing facilities have revolutionized beverage education in Canada. They offer real-world experience for students in the Winery and Viticulture Technician, Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management, and Artisan Distilling programs, helping to provide a highly skilled workforce for the sector.
In addition to supporting the industry, NC wines, beers, spirits and ciders have consistently raised the bar, winning top honours in provincial, national and international competitions. College staff worked with Cinnamon Toast marketing agency to develop the historic rebrand, which visually realigns the three beverage learning enterprises, and ushers in a fresh era for NC’s School of Wine, Beer and Spirits.
“The NC Craft label represents our evolution as a premier leader across all beverage sectors, bringing our spectacular student-crafted products under one premium brand,” said Sean Coote, vice-president of partnership and enterprises. “For 25 years, our students have been fully immersed in real-world commercial production environments. The rebranding honours our proud history of innovation while elevating how we showcase the exceptional skills of our students to the marketplace.”
The debut of NC Craft features several new product releases alongside a fresh look for classic favourites. Guests at the event were treated to a first taste of several newly introduced NC Craft products. New releases from the Teaching Winery include 2025 NC Craft Rosé, 2023 Dean’s List Fortified Cabernet Sauvignon, 2023 Dean’s List Cabernet Franc Icewine, NC Craft Dry Cider and NC Craft Cherry Cider, and the Teaching Brewery has introduced NC Craft Cherry Pilsner and NC Craft Leichtbier (light lager).
NC Craft wine, beer, spirits and cider are available for purchase on site at the Niagara College Craft Beverage Centre, located at the College’s Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake, which is open to the public. All retail proceeds support student learning.
Accompanying the launch of the NC Craft brand, is a new tasting experience titled “NC Craft Beverage Flight,” offering a curated tasting flight featuring a selection of the newest small-batch creations from the Teaching Winery, Teaching Brewery and Teaching Distillery.
