It's fair to say that nights at the pub with a group of pals have the potential to yield ideas.

That said, some are better than others. One positive example is Movember, a prostate cancer fundraiser that came into being in 2003 over a couple of beers in Melbourne, Australia.

It's taken the world by storm and this is the fourth year it'll be marked in Canada, seeing thousands of men abandon their razors for the course of the month and grow moustaches to raise both awareness and funds for Prostate Cancer Canada, funding research and support services.

Last year's Canadian effort, which saw more than 35,000 people participate and raise $7.8 million, was the second largest in the world, behind Australia.

This year is shaping up to have similar success with more and more individuals, organizations and businesses opting to take part. One example is Granville Island Brewing. Last year, the company participated internally, raising $5,000. Based on the success, both in terms of fundraising and finding it great for morale, management thought it would be worth taking their involvement to the next level, rolling out a public campaign.

So far they've received an overwhelming response, seeing 75 of their clients (restaurants and private beer and wine stores) opt to take part.

"Obviously, as a beer company, our consumer profile is pretty male-dominant," says Granville Island Brewing general manager Walter Cosman. "We have a lot of females who love our beer but we're still 70-30 male to female."

With that in mind, Movember seemed like the perfect fit for the brewery.

"There's lots of great causes out there and there's lots of great events that happen for . . . the female side, but we didn't really feel like there was much out there for the male side," says Cosman. "As guys, we're brutal about talking about our own health and about going to get checked. So we wanted to try to do something that had some fun to it that got people talking about the cause. Hopefully with the moustaches people are laughing and joking, but at the same time also talking about, 'Hey, it is a serious illness and it affects one in six guys in their lifetime.'"

According to Prostate Cancer Canada, prostate is the most common cancer among Canadian men and this year alone, an estimated 24,600 men will be diagnosed; and others, due to an unwillingness to go for annual check-ups, will go undiagnosed.

Granville Island's campaign has a number of components. For example, ten cents from every pint and twenty-five cents from each six-pack of Lions Winter Ale sold will benefit Prostate Cancer Canada. As well, specially marked cases of the style will have a "Mo Bro Guide" inside. The company has distributed coasters to B.C. pubs and restaurants with punch-out moustaches for men and women to snap a photo of themselves wearing and post on the brewery's Facebook page to win prizes. Other contests are also being run through social media. And, they're looking for more people and teams to join them with a goal of raising $25,000 for the cause.

One of Granville Island's clients participating on the North Shore is Browns on Lonsdale.

According to co-owner Derek Archer, their restaurant first participated in Movember three years ago, holding a fundraising evening in support of a staff member's father who was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

"He fought it and won, so we thought we'd bring some awareness to it. It was the first time I'd really heard of it," he says, adding they raised more than $1,000.

Archer, who participated on his own last year, is looking forward to this year's campaign, seeing their staff grow moustaches and wear campaign T-shirts.

"It's a fun way to support a great cause," he says.

Both Granville Island Brewing and Browns on Lonsdale will host a shaving party at the end of the month to raise further funds.

For more information on Movember, to sign up or support a team, including Granville Island's or Browns on Lonsdale's, visit ca.movember.com.

For more information on Prostate Cancer Canada, visit www.prostatecancer.ca.