Good beer that's good for the planet
Good Things Brewing was founded on a purpose. I didn’t know how to brew beer, but I did know about sustainability.
The way beer is traditionally brewed is incredibly inefficient, with huge amounts of water, energy and grain wasted.
So in 2017, sustainability engineer Chris Drummond decided to see if he could brew better – and set about the small task of creating world’s first closed-loop, fully sustainable brewery.
The result was Good Things Brewing who…
- Bore their own water from 63m under their brewery
- Generate their own electricity from their 60kW solar array, backed up with 100% renewable power from Good Energy
- Turn their spent brewers’ grain into flour using a low energy dehydrator and a traditional stone mill, which is then used by local pizza restaurants, bakeries and households
- Treat all of their waste on site through reed beds and upcycling
- Deliver their delicious beer to local households and businesses in an electric van which is charged up by the sun.
They even offer a fresh drop service. Only instead of milk and milk bottles, it’s freshly brewed beer in reusable beer bottles.
Sustainability, brand loyalty and repeat business
Like many other businesses founded on a purpose, Good Things Brewing have found that doing things differently makes them stand out. And has even helped guide them through difficult times.
“Our sustainability credentials may not always be what makes the first sale”, explains Chris, “That’s the beer itself. But it definitely increases loyalty towards our brand.”
And loyalty to Good Things Brewing’s sustainability has come into its own during 2020 as people think more about how they can reduce their impact on the planet through the products they buy.
“We’ve found during the pandemic, sustainability and local business is more important to consumers than ever before.” says Chris
“Support for us from local people has gone through the roof. We’ve increased our customer base by 2000 local people over the course of two months. For a small business that is huge.”
A more sustainable industry as a whole
What Chris has proven is that it’s entirely possible to brew beer and care for the planet. He wants to help as many breweries, suppliers and distributors as possible to also reduce their impact on the world, and show them that by cutting energy and waste, you can become more profitable and wholly sustainable.
We’ve forged lifetime relationships based on our sustainability story and our great beer.
We’ll raise a glass to that.
