Importing Brewery Equipment into Canada

Beer has always been a popular pastime of Canadians. The past couple of years has seen a massive increase in popularity of the craft breweries, or microbreweries as they are also known. There has been a corresponding rise in the rise in imports of beer related products. This includes brewery equipment, beer ingredients and drinking glasses. We’ve had many inquiries into this industry recently so let’s take a look at the importation requirements and duty rates for these items. These items are not subject to provincial liquor control board approval unlike importing alcoholic drinks.

Brewery equipment includes machines that are used in the beer manufacturing process. There is no duty on the import of brewery equipment for the most part. Equipment imported for commercial purposes would be subject to 5% Goods and Services Tax (GST) and would fall in Chapter 84 of the Customs Tariff. Brewery equipment does fall under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), so their approval is required for import into Canada.

The main ingredients in beer include water, grain, hops and yeast. CFIA regulates the imports of all these items as they are considered to be for human consumption. Please contact us for duty rates and requirements to import as they vary from country to country. GST is exempt in some cases as well. 

Drinking Glasses

What good is beer without a frosty mug? Glasses are the only item on this list that do not fall under CFIA regulations. There is no duty on these items if they are made out of glass. They are subject to 5% GST. These rates of duty and tax are applied regardless of where the goods are manufactured and imported from. Glassware is classified in Chapter 70 of the Customs Tariff. 

The above information is a general look at the requirements to import into Canada. As a Canadian Customs Broker, we are used to handling our clients’ imports of a wide array of items into Canada. Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have on these products or any others and we can assist you with the requirements to import the goods into Canada. Click here if you would like a free quote. Cheers!