Stonemill Bakehouse Taps Brewery to Craft Sourdough Summer Ale

From bread to liquid bread - this untraditional activation was designed to spark culture and draw fresh attention to Stonemill’s line of delicious, flavourful rye sourdough breads and new brand positioning.

In a category where brands often blend into the background, Stonemill Bakehouse saw an opportunity to stand out. The unexpected answer? Go big on sourdough. Not for its health halo, but for its bold, craveable flavour. This authentic European sourdough starter - the secret behind Stonemill’s slow-fermented, flavour-rich bread - was the brand’s hidden superpower.

Consumers just didn’t know it yet.

With King Ursa, Stonemill rallied around a simple but powerful idea: Big Flavour. Bold Character. More than a repositioning, it became a rallying cry - brought to life through refreshed packaging, social storytelling, and, most importantly, an unforgettable brand experience that took the brand out of the bread aisle and into the social spotlight.

In collaboration with Something in the Water Brewing Co., Stonemill and King Ursa turned that starter into the star ingredient of a crisp, small-batch saison-style beer - proving Stonemill’s flavour in a way people could taste, sip, and share in Toronto. The move wasn’t about crossing categories for novelty - it was about showing, not telling, just how much bold flavour Stonemill’s sourdough brings to the table.

“This wasn’t just about bread,” said Jenn Green, VP strategy at King Ursa. “It was about proving that Stonemill’s sourdough could deliver bold, craveable flavour in a way people could feel - and showing that even a legacy brand can break through with a bold new positioning.”

“For more than 40 years, Stonemill has stood for quality, care, rich, time-honoured baking traditions, and the art of slow crafting to create our wholesome and flavourful breads,” added Alistair Senn, marketing director at Bimbo Canada.

The launch event - Stonemill Toast & Taps Tasting - was hosted at Something in the Water’s Liberty Village brewpub, pairing freshly brewed beer with freshly baked bread for a one-of-a-kind flavour experience. The beer sold out within hours. The moment was captured and amplified through influencer content, social buzz, and earned media - turning Stonemill’s story into a shareable cultural moment that lives far beyond the loaf.

Early results prove just how powerful an untraditional activation can be:

● 39M+ impressions in the first week alone.

● Standout CPM and strong social traction with younger, culture-hungry audiences.

● An instant hit product collab that brewed real buzz - and positioned Stonemill for
exponential growth in a category that often flies under the radar.

● Sold out faster than any other collab beer Something in the Water has produced in the past.