New Belgium Brewing Company is the sixth largest draft company in the U.S. The Company embodies the American Dream.  It was started in Jeff Lebesch and Kim Jordan’s basement in 1998 and has grown to one of the largest breweries in the country.  Co-owners Jeff and Kim have developed a company which produces a quality product while encouraging entrepreneurship.  At the one year anniversary, an employee is awarded not only a bike, in honor of the bike trip Jeff took which inspired him to brew this unique beer, but they are made co-owners in the company.

Environmentally Friendly Technologies-The benefits outweigh the costs.

New Belgium focuses heavily on the use of environmentally friendly technologies.  Yes, they are costly to implement, but they benefit not only the environment, but New Belgium saves money in the long run.  They are totally dependent on wind mill power, which save an enormous amount of money on electricity.  They have begun recycling their own waste and using the ethanol extracted to generate power.  Their practices for cooling and natural lighting make them an example for all large power users to emulate, all the while saving them money. 

Corporate Giving

New Belgium donates $1.00 per barrel sold the previous year to selected charitable organizations.  The company, and remember that this is an employee owned company has decided to support their own communities and those causes which can improve the environment.  The amount is determine by the previous year’s sales so that if their sales are down, so are their dollars given to the charitable organizations.  This is a very smart way to determine these donations. 

Social Responsibility.

New Belgium seems to be very much in touch with environmental trends.  They realize that there are many who believe selling alcoholic beverages is not socially responsible and have addressed this in two major ways.  The first is that they have chosen to market their beer to a mature consumer ranging in age from 25-45.  Their beer is priced for a high end buyer, selling at about $7.00 a six pack, which is not realistically affordable for a young buyer.  The second is through their philanthropic interests.  The company has chosen include drug and alcohol awareness programs in their mix of charitable causes. These two points convince me that they are aware of this trend and are working to control potential problems as well as perceptions of the public.

Environmental Awareness

I have viewed the websites of Anhueser Busch Co., Coors Brewing Co. and New Belgium.  I think that Anhueser Busch is not in the forefront regarding environmental trends.  It seems as though they are trying to meet regulations, but certainly not advancing to the level that has been presented by New Belgium. The Coors Brewing Co. is very much aware of environmental trends and has been successful as the mastermind behind the recyclable aluminum beer cans, which are used throughout the industry now. The recycle and reuse the majority of their solid waste, process millions of gallons of wastewater daily, as well as selling ethanol and selling wet feed to cattle farmers.

The New Belgium Brewing Company, although a smaller operation, have proven themselves the winners in the environmental awareness area. They recycle and reuse solid was, process plant wastewater, and give away their barley and hops grain to farmers who need only to pick it up themselves to use for feed. They are the first fully wind powered brewery in the U.S., use a steam condenser to heat the floors and de-ice loading docks, and use sun tubes for natural lighting.  The have begun using the ethanol from wastewater to produce electricity and power, which is another large endeavor in the cause of environmental awareness.