Brad Barta

As Pilot Plant Production Specialist (PPPS) with the Food & Beverage Innovation Centre, Brad Barta is responsible for the overall management and operation of the Centre’s Beverage and Liquids R&D Pilot Processing Facility (the “Pilot Plant”). This includes delivering, maintaining and training of good manufacturing practices; accountability for regulatory compliance (including recordkeeping and audits); budgeting; maintaining Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), technical quotations; supervision, supervising Pilot Plant staff and students; procurement of ingredients and supplies; sanitation of Pilot Plant and equipment; and the physical delivery of all Food & Beverage Innovation Centre beverage and liquid food production requirements.

Brad has a long-standing relationship with Niagara College, as both an instructor, and most recently as the Lead Brewer with the Niagara College Teaching Brewery, a position he held for 6 years. Besides training more than 300 brewers at NC during his tenure here, he has also hosted countless sensory/tasting sessions, hosted the general-public “Brew Academy” sessions, and taught several courses, including Sensory Evaluation of Beer; History of Brewing; and Brewing Equipment.

From 2016 to 2019, he was the founder and principal brewer at Wooden Horse Brewing Company. He regularly consults on beer development for outside companies; and he was a brewer for the Whitewater Brewing Company in the Ottawa Valley.

Brad, who earned his Brewmaster and Brewery Management Diploma from Niagara College in 2016, also has a management background in the hospitality and service industry.