County Social

New book spotlights PEC’s craft drinkmakers

There are a bushel of stories about the County’s beverage makers in County Social, the first publication from Assembly Press. Natalie Wollenberg, co-owner of 555 Brewing Company, spent hundreds of hours interviewing 35 wine, beer, cider and spirit makers, and then Assembly Press publisher Leigh Nash captured the essence of those interviews to create text for the book. Ms. Wollenberg is also a talented photographer, and the book is illustrated with compelling images of her interview subjects. There are also recipes from six County chefs that pair county-sourced ingredients with craft beverages. The book was officially launched on June 10, with a party at The Grange Winery that was attended by a number of the book’s contributors.

The new book picks up from where the pair’s previous collaboration, County Heirlooms, left off. “It’s a pivot from food to drink,” said Ms. Wollenberg. “We’ve got so many amazing entrepreneurs and business people in the community that really deserve to be highlighted.

They’ve really bet everything on black— and what I mean is that it’s such a gamble. If you can imagine Grant Howes, Dan Sullivan, Richard and Sherry Karlo, when they first arrived. All of those early entrepreneurs have paved the way for people like myself, or even people opening businesses in the past few years. I think it’s important to note the history of where that entrepreneurial spirit comes from within the County and where it is now.” The book tells the stories of how the craft beverage makers came to their vocation, the people who inspired them, and how they have worked to make their businesses thrive. “It’s about all the hard work that goes into what people are producing here. Sometimes I think that people don’t have a great understanding of what goes on behind the doors. There’s so much work and blood, sweat and tears that goes into the product that we enjoy, and I think it’s important to highlight all the work,” said Ms. Wollenberg. Among the common themes is a strong passion for what they do, and a sense of community. “The thing that came up most often in the interviews was just how much everybody helps each other out and support each other— and that’s across beverage lines,” said Ms. Nash.

The new book was designed to be a diptych with County Heirlooms. Designer Greg Tabor constructed the cover design and typesetting of the book while Ms. Nash and Andrew Faulkner did the work to get it ready for production. Once again, Ruth Gangbar did the food styling for the six recipes. Both Ms. Nash and Ms. Wollenberg felt it was important for the book to be printed in Canada, and they found a printer in Altona, Manitoba to do the work. They ordered a first printing of 5,500 copies—in contrast to the 2,500-copy gamble for County Heirlooms, which went to print at the start of the pandemic in 2020. Copies of the new book arrived a couple of weeks ago, much to the relief of Ms. Nash. “There’s no better feeling than seeing your book come back from the printer,” she said. The book is available from Books & Company and Zest in Picton, as well as from Amazon and Indigo. Royalties from the book will be donated to Alternatives for Women. Assembly Press will launch six new titles in the fall including a book from County author Sarah Selecky, whose 2010 book This Cake Is for the Party, was short-listed for the Giller Prize.