USA: Thistlerock Mead Company Aims for Sustainability with Net-Zero Mead Initiative

From finance.coin-turk.com

Overview

• Thistlerock Mead Company pushes sustainable practices with net-zero goals.

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• Industries beyond beverages join the environmental mission for broader impact.

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• The global coalition aims to protect pollinators through diverse strategies.

 During the quiet days of the Covid-19 pandemic, John Kluge, an entrepreneur based in Virginia, realized the growing disconnection between people and the natural environment. His observations during these isolated months led him to establish the Thistlerock Mead Company. The company‘s mission is to not only craft honey wine but also promote sustainable practices across the beverage industry. By using regenerative agriculture and sustainable beekeeping, Thistlerock aims to be the first net-zero meadery in the United States. The company integrates solar electricity and utilizes 100 percent post-consumer recycled bottles.

In past discussions, Kluge has consistently highlighted the potential within the beverage industry to address broader issues like biodiversity. Thistlerock’s current initiative is a testament to this vision as it seeks to inspire environmental responsibility industry-wide. Previously, Kluge’s efforts were more localized but now aim to influence broader industry practices. Thistlerock plans to work with various sectors, expanding partnerships beyond beverage companies to include industries like fashion and technology, demonstrating the extensive reach of environmental responsibility.

What Are Thistlerock’s New Collaborative Efforts?

In collaboration with Bee:Wild and the advocacy group Global Citizen, Thistlerock is forging a coalition aimed at encouraging pollinator-friendly practices. This coalition strives to galvanize support for protecting rainforest areas and securing funding for conservation. Kluge stated,

“We are little—we can’t do this by ourselves,”

when discussing these new partnerships. The initiative underlines an urgent need given that honeybee colonies are expected to decline significantly according to studies, mainly due to environmental stressors and human activities.

How Are Other Industries Engaging?

Industries beyond the beverage sector are joining Thistlerock’s environmental mission. Companies from fashion to technology are participating, each contributing in unique ways to boost pollinator protection. For instance, Dubai Airport plans to communicate biodiversity messages to millions of travellers, highlighting the global reach and diverse nature of the campaign efforts. According to Eva Kruse, “They come to it from different sides,” indicating the multifaceted strategies participants bring to the campaign.

The Bee:Wild coalition encompasses a diverse range of strategies geared toward enhancing pollinator conservation and biodiversity. From signing petitions advocating pollinator rights to working with communities on urban rewilding projects, the collaborative effort includes innovative approaches to raise awareness. Kluge expressed,

“The hope is that progress builds progress, and we will inspire each other,”

indicating the initiative’s potential to continuously foster environmental consciousness.

John Kluge’s initiative encourages individuals and industries to think about daily dependencies on pollination. Beverages, food, and countless other items rely heavily on bees and similar pollinators. Such interdependence underscores the need for awareness and proactive measures to safeguard these essential creatures.

The commitment to sustainability evident in Thistlerock’s efforts mirrors a wider trend in industries toward environmental responsibility. By uniting companies under a common cause, the initiative not only focuses on immediate ecological concerns but also seeks long-term solutions beneficial to industries and ecosystems alike. As threats to pollinator populations like bees grow, efforts such as these are vital in combating biodiversity loss and promoting global ecological health.

https://finance.coin-turk.com/thistlerock-mead-company-aims-for-sustainability-with-net-zero-mead-initiative/

This brand’s ‘hard honey’ is bringing mead into the 21st century

From fastcompany.com

Lixir Hard Honey is pushing to make ancient drink mead appealing to drinkers—and make its product sustainably 

                                                                                                              [Photo: Courtesy of Lixir]

When he was a teenager, Collin McKenna’s interest in changing the food system led him to move from Colorado to Hawaii for high school. It was on that school’s regenerative farm that the now 30-year-old entrepreneur discovered mead—the sweet, fermented honey beverage often referred to as “honey wine.” His first taste of alcohol was mead made by Hawaiian locals.

With his 10-month-old brand LIXIR—a sparkling ready-to-drink mead brand he’s billing as “hard honey”—McKenna wants to make the ancient beverage accessible while turning LIXIR into just the second Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) alcoholic beverage brand. “So many different cultures made different variations of it. But we wanted to reimagine mead for a modern consumer,” McKenna says.

Making Mead Accessible

One of McKenna’s first moves when starting LIXIR was trademarking the term “hard honey,” papering over the knowledge gap around mead—one of the world’s oldest alcoholic beverages, but whose popularity fell as beer and wine became easier to produce on industrial scale. But mead has been having a resurgence. Fortune Business Insights data reveals that the mead market was about $533.3 million in 2023, and is projected to nearly triple by 2032. 

“There’s a lot of education behind trying to explain mead and where it comes from,” McKenna says. “As soon as we came up with the idea of hard honey, people were like, ‘I get it.’”

With a concept in mind, in 2021, McKenna approached Frank Golbeck, founder of Oceanside, California’s Golden Coast Mead, to begin developing the formula for his hard honey. Since 2010, Golbeck has been focused on modern mead with a regenerative approach. He saw McKenna’s ethos and vision, and although his small factory had limited space, was willing to begin a partnership. 

Golbeck says mead represents “the synthesis of ecology, creativity and history coming together. Honey is this expensive product that is hard to make. Then to turn it into an alcohol that is similarly hard to make—and to do it well, consistently—has escaped people for generations.”

The pair ultimately created a proprietary process for formulating a 5% ABV modern mead that’s less sweet and, unlike the traditional drink, slightly carbonated. LIXIR comes in three varieties: Pear Lime, Cherry Grapefruit, and Mango Orange. “There are so many different honey options—flowers and places where they forage—and they can make such different mead,” McKenna says. “We went through countless renditions of just trying to make the base. It was at least a yearlong process.” 

Since April, LIXIR has debuted at Total Wine & More in its SoCal region as well as Jimbo’s natural grocery stores in San Diego, among several other small retailers and upscale restaurants and hotels. This Spring, it will also begin rolling out in Mother’s Market stores in Southern California regions. McKenna has raised more than $650,000 in funding, about half of its current goal amid a crowdfunding round. Jack Sinclair, CEO of Sprouts Farmers Market, is an advisor and investor in LIXIR.

                                                                                                                     [Photo: Courtesy of Lixir]

LIXIR’s regenerative approach

LIXIR’s branding helps make mead something a casual shopper might buy, but McKenna still has to solve for how to explain to buyers that their purchase is funding responsible farming. A survey out of Purdue University’s Department of Agriculture found that more than 70% of U.S. consumers are slightly or not at all familiar with the term “regenerative agriculture.”

McKenna and Golbeck knew that their regenerative goals would rely on sourcing, so they decided to make LIXIR with honey sourced from a Brazilian farm in the Atlantic Rainforest that pulls double duty as a nature and bee preserve. McKenna says LIXIR is already a regenerative organic product, but has yet to receive certification from the Regenerative Organic Alliance—something no bee farm or honey brand has managed to achieve.

McKenna and Golbeck say that’s because the ROA requires a three-mile forage radius to certify farms, something the founders view as impractical because bees fly far and wide. They have been working with groups like the Regenerative Apiculture Working Group, which focuses on promoting a regenerative honey ecosystem, to make changes to the requirements. “It’s so complicated,” McKenna says. “We’ve been chipping away for 10 years.”

Though the ROA has certified a handful of beverage brands—among them Harmless Harvest coconut water and Guayaki yerba mate—LIXIR would become just the second alcoholic beverage brand with ROC status (outdoor lifestyle brand Patagonia’s beer and wine operation has received the certification). McKenna is hopeful ROC status could come within the next five years. “We want to educate people in the best way possible by creating a product that everybody can enjoy and have fun with,” McKenna says. “We want to be the brand behind the movement.”

The super-early-rate deadline for Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards is Friday, February 28, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today.

https://www.fastcompany.com/91278985/lixir-hard-honey-mead

Is it finally mead’s time to shine? Don’t sleep on this drink trend

From themanual.com

Mead is returning to the scene

Mead is one of the oldest alcoholic beverages on the planet. Otherwise known as honey wine, the liquid is in the midst of a renaissance. In fact, it’s estimated that the number of meaderies in the United States will soon surpass 500.

John Kluge is the CEO and co-founder of Thistlerock Mead Company in Virginia. The operation is the first net-zero project of its kind, set in Virginia wine country near Charlottesville. The brand is shaking up the scene, going all-in on sustainability and sourcing honey from its own estate as well as farms in far-ranging countries such as Colombia, Patagonia, and Tanzania. The producer works on a 130-acre farm, practicing regenerative agriculture and inviting guests to take in bloom-to-bottle experiences.

He says mead is enjoying a serious resurgence these days.

                                                                                            Alissa Sanderson/Getty Images / Getty

The comeback

“The world’s most ancient beverage is having a major comeback for two primary reasons,” Kluge says. “First, it’s the ultimate (and original) craft beverage with a history dating back over nine thousand years and produced and enjoyed by mead-makers from every continent.”

There’s a built-in ethos that’s tough to argue with, too. “Secondly, because mead production is optimized to support honey bees and native pollinators – it’s a beverage built with sustainability at its heart,” Kluge continues. “Most consumers today are actively seeking products that align with their values. Mead has the potential to be the world’s most sustainable alcohol – and given how delicious it is, it’s tough to beat the magic of that value proposition!”

There’s a timeliness to it all as well, with bees getting headlines very much lately. Dwindling populations have inspired recovery efforts and a greater sensitivity to the health of these vitally important insects. “Habitat loss, rampant pesticide use, and a warming planet are making things harder for bees all over the world, but thankfully, we now understand these as the drivers for colony collapse disorder, which is responsible for the rapid honeybee population loss of the 2000s,” Kluge adds. “Over 30 states have since passed laws protecting pollinators, and we are now seeing record high honeybee populations in the United States. So that’s very promising. We still have a lot of work to do to protect native pollinators, but if anything, I’d say pollinator population loss puts meaderies in higher demand. Aside from beekeepers and entomologists, meaderies are amazing advocates for our apian friends.”

The process

                                                                                     Thistlerock / Thistlerock

If you have a sugar source, you’re well on your way to alcohol. In that sense, mead is like the OG of the drinks world, a sweet product that’s been fermented for millennia. Kluge says today, it’s about elevating the approach and experimenting, not unlike the best winemakers do.

“As Thistlerock is right along the Monticello American Viticultural Area in the heart of Virginia wine country, we tend to make our meads dryer to both showcase our honey varietals while also being approachable to wine drinkers,” Kluge says. “Wine consumers can usually tell you what to look for from a well-made Bordeaux red blend or what the differences are between Pinot from Burgundy versus Napa,” he says. “But what makes for a world-class traditional wildflower mead? Should it be dry, semi-dry, or semi-sweet? Should we be blending honey or using single monofloral honey? Should mead be restricted to only 11-13% (which is what the TTB suggests), or should we listen to mead-makers who produce lighter session meads from 5-7%, wine-like meads from 11-13%, or higher abv barrel-aged meads?”

These are the questions that are driving the evolving industry. Kluege says partners like the Mead Institute are helping to raise mead’s bar. And while mead’s history is virtually unmatched, the drink has its own share of challenges when it comes to producing the stuff.

“One is the lack of understanding of mead from regulators – something the American Association of Meadmakers (AMMA) is helping to address at the federal level,” he says. “In Virginia, we recently formed the Virginia Mead Guild, a state-level trade association to support the flourishing of the mead community here in the Commonwealth.”

There are distribution issues, too, compounded by state shipping laws and the fact that most of the meaderies in the nation are very small. “I’d love for a consumer to be able to walk into their local bottle shop, restaurant, or grocery stores and have a whole slew of quality mead options, not just the one-to-two sweet meads that have been around for ages,” he says.

Sustainability and terroir

For Kluge and the growing brand, it’s about doing better. He cites a study which indicated that the alcohol industry produced some 1.5 gigatons of greenhouse gasses worldwide. That’s the equivalent of 276 million automobiles. “Our mission is to make the world’s most sustainable beverage and to bring balance to the human-nature relationship,” he says. “In some ways, we have an advantage as a new company since we’re starting with a blank slate. If we can design a company that bakes impact into everything we do, why wouldn’t we?”

There’s a learning curve, of course, but that’s to be expected. Thistlerock hopes to keep fine-tuning its sustainability side. The farm is powered by the sun, and electric vehicles are used for transport. “Almost all of our ingredients are sourced from local or nature-supporting producers and social enterprises,” Kluge adds. “We re-invest our profits in supporting at-risk and important biospheres.”

He says shipping glass bottles remains a big issue. “Our bottles are 100% post-consumer recycled glass, but in time, we’d like to eliminate glass altogether in favor of flax or pine resin fiber bottles,” he says. “We are working with what is available in the market today and adjust and improve as often as we can. We are in a constant learning mode, which is why we became the first beverage company to join the Central Virginia Green Business Alliance. We know we don’t have all the answers, so we’re hoping others can join forces with us to build smart, better, nature-first companies.”

Kluge and many others in the industry would love to see an appellation system for honey that celebrates the massive terroir element in play. One could argue that mead is one of the best exemplifiers of terroir, the product of an extensive habitat from a single area.

“To produce one bottle of mead, it takes the equivalent of one to two million pollination stops among local flora,” Kluge says. “Bees are creatures of supreme efficiency. If they have an abundant forage source, as they do on our regeneratively managed flower farm, they are more likely to stay hyper-local and source their nectar close to their hive.”

He says honey is mead’s terroir. “But it’s far richer in data and specificity to a place than terroir is to a region in grape wine,” he adds. “That’s why we say mead is an ecosystem in a glass. If you like the way a mead tastes — particularly a traditional mead that uses only honey, yeast, and water — you’re very likely to love the place the honey comes from.”

How should you enjoy your mead? Kluge suggests starting with seafood. “Heidrun and the Northumberland Honey Company both produce incredible Methode Champenoise meads that go perfectly with oysters,” he says. “Our Estate Reserve, which we age in rye barrels for 12 months, tends to go well with a scotch egg or sticky toffee puddings. If you prefer beer, you will like braggart mead (carbonated mead fermented with grains and hops). Whatever type of drinker you are, I guarantee you there is a mead out there you will love, so try many and try them frequently!”

https://www.themanual.com/food-and-drink/is-it-meads-time-to-shine/ 

UK: Gosnells meadery gains ethical B Corp certification

From thecaterer.com

Honey-based drinks producer Gosnells has received B Corp approval, having met the scheme's rigorous social and environmental standards 

The London-headquartered meadery said it had examined every stage of its production, distribution, and operation to gain the certification.

Gosnells founder and managing director Tom Gosnell said: "We want to give real meaning to that over-used and under-qualified word ‘sustainability'."

Gosnells uses honey to produce its sparkling nectars, which enables it to avoid the fungicides, pesticides and herbicides used by many farmers.

It does not use diesel-emitting tractors required to produce barley, wheat, apples, or grapes and therefore has no spent grains or grape or apple skins to transport away afterwards for animal feed or compost.

Gosnell said: "In 2019, we moved away from reliance on glass bottles to cans, which now account for 20% of sales, and in 2022 started selling on draught in refillable kegs to pubs and bars - now 80% of sales. Both of these factors significantly minimise raw material usage and transportation costs."

The company also works with its local Peckham community to rejuvenate waste spaces and plans to work with its trade customers to turn pub gardens into greener spaces.

Gosnells is served on draught in venues across London including Laine pubs such as Watsons General Telegraph and the Four Thieves, draft house venues like the Duke of Hammersmith and Seething Lane Tap, in independents like the Gladstone Arms in Borough, as well as its own bar in Bermondsey which opened in 2022.

Chris Turner, executive director of BCorp verifier B Lab UK, said: "[Gosnells'] commitment to doing business differently will be an inspiration to others and really helps spread the idea that we can redefine success in business to be as much about people and planet as it is about profit."

https://www.thecaterer.com/news/gosnells-gains-environmental-certification