The ultimate collaboration – Toast x COP26 charity beer box
15/10/2021
One thing we love about the social enterprise sector is the collaboration between entrepreneurs, brands and other organisations fighting the good fight.
Whether it’s buddying up for a joint product, building a partnership with a charity or sharing knowledge, the soc ent community loves to connect and dial up the positive impact wherever they can.
Toast Ale’s new charity beer box, which has launched this month, is the perfect example of this collaborative spirit in action. The Companion Series is the result of an epic coalition between breweries for the COP26 climate talks, with 26 specially brewed beers in every box.
As the exclusive retailer of the Companion Series outside of the Toast brand, we’re thrilled to help spread the word about this timely collab.
Read on to find out what message and impact Toast Ale and co are hoping to get out there with the beer box, as well as what you can find inside.
Fighting food waste with Toast Ale
Not familiar with Toast Ale? There are two things you need to know about them: they make great craft beer and they hate food waste.
These eco-conscious brewers have been shouting about the need to shake up our food system since their very beginnings in 2015.
Every variation of Toast Ale – from their pale ale to craft lager – is brewed using some of the 44% of surplus bread that goes to waste. Yep, you read that right – bread is one of the most wasted foods in the UK.
Toast’s bready brewing method also reduces the demand for land and water compared to using virgin barley (the more common main ingredient in beer). And there are lower emissions throughout the process too.
In the lead up to COP26, Toast Ale has been taking their food waste-fighting mission beyond their own brewery. They’ve teamed up with like-minded organisations, brands and fellow beer-makers to get food bumped up the COP26 agenda.
(FYI, COP26 is the 26th UN Climate Change Conference, which is being held in Glasgow this November. We wrote about why it’s so important and what food has to do with it all here.)
This started with their Rise Up range. Next up, the Companion Series.
Introducing Toast Ale’s Companion Series
From household names like Guinness to small independent breweries such as Fyne Ales and our very own Tap Social, Toast Ale has brought together 24 breweries from across the industry to create the Companion Series.
With a little shared knowledge and some pre-prepared surplus crumb from the Toast team, each brewery has created a waste-saving brew from bread for this limited-edition collection.
Toast Ale has got in on the new brew action too. Their “For the Planet” Juicy IPA, brewed with surplus fresh bread, organic malt and British oats and wheat, is a collaboration with Race to Zero, Business Declares and Zero Hour (the campaign for the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill).
And the “For People” Coffee Porter is brewed in collaboration with Cafédirect, using surplus bread and Brazilian coffee beans. Alongside the beers are some top treats from fellow brands with a social conscience, including Divine Chocolate, Liberation Nuts, Teapigs and Traidcraft.
This kind of collaboration is standard practice for Toast Ale, who already give a portion of profits to environmental charities. “Companionship” is even one of their core values.
While the range is a one-off, they like to think sharing their knowledge might lead to the partner breweries using surplus bread again in the future.
The Companion Series: Together, for people and the planet
So what impact will the Companion Series have, other than saving a whole lot of leftover loaves?
The hope is that these competitive businesses working together – particularly after such a tough year for the industry – will inspire collaboration in the fight against climate change.
As well as contributing a beer to the Companion Series, all 25 of the breweries have added their name to an open letter calling on world leaders and COP26 negotiators to work together to combat the climate and nature emergency.
The letter urges leaders to seize the “once in a lifetime opportunity to protect people and nature from the effects of the global climate crisis.” It highlights reducing food waste as a key measure in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation.
Toast co-founder Tristram Stuart sums up the message of the letter: “We hope that those responsible for making policy decisions and setting international targets at COP will ‘use their loaves’ and work together to take meaningful action for the sake of our collective future.”
Beer that gives back
The impact of the Companion Series will go even further thanks to two more collaborations. £26 from every box will be invested into conservation and regenerative agriculture projects by two non-profits – Rainforest Trust UK and Soil Heroes.
Rainforest Trust UK is dedicated to protecting threatened tropical forests and endangered wildlife worldwide, while Soil Heroes support regenerative agriculture in the UK, helping farmers restore soil health.
With 2600 boxes in total, the Companion Series will raise at least £65,000 for their projects. That looks like protection for 3.25 million trees in threatened tropical rainforests, and support for UK farmers to capture 360 tCO2 by replenishing the health of soils.
So every beer in the Companion Series is supporting a healthier planet, in more ways than one.
How can you support Toast Ale’s COP26 collaboration?
First and foremost – treat yourself to the Companion Series box!
Once you’ve got your charity beer box (on pre-order now, delivering from 1st November), keep the collaborative spirit going at home. Share the beers with friends and family and start a conversation about food waste, climate change and collaboration.
Or share your thoughts on the Companion Series with the world using the #COPCompanions hashtag on social.
The 26 beers in the series will be available on draught at London’s Tate Modern as part of a collaboration with Tate Eats, launching at the Tate Lates event on 29th October and running through to 12th November. The draught beers will also be pouring at most of the Companion partner brewery taprooms, in case you’re local to any.
Here’s to tackling the climate and nature crisis together (over a beer).
