It’s all about location, location, location for a northern Ontario distillery.
Marcel Rheault runs Rheault Distillery in Hearst with his wife, but says the town’s population of 5,000 cannot compare to bringing the distillery to Thunder Bay.
“There’s a lot of people in Thunder Bay, looking to buy local… here, and in that part [Thunder Bay] of the country. Toronto is pretty far away from Thunder Bay,” says Rheault.
He plans to open a shop on Court Street, now that approval has been granted.
Being in Thunder Bay, he’s anticipating a bigger market. “We’ll be able to export to the states, that’s the whole idea behind it. St. Paul is about four hours from Thunder Bay?”
The distillery owner adds he’s done many trade shows in Thunder Bay and knows a lot of people here.

