How a south Bristol brewery is giving back to the community 

The team at Bristol Beer Factory (BBF) have an ambitious vision to expand a business model that enables them to give back to the wider community.

Brewed to Give launched in May 2023 as a commitment that the brewery would self-impose a tax of two per cent on all of its sales and ringfence that money to invest in charities or causes that benefit the city and its people in some way.

Since its inception, the model has seen BFF donate more than £60,000 worth of stock or money to communities in Bristol, enabling them to raise more than £161,000.

After a successful pilot, the team have big ambitions to increase the impact and widen the model out to other ethically-minded businesses with Bristol roots.

The sky’s the limit, according to Kari Halford, BBF’s community events manager, whose personal connection with Brewed to Give first came about when she was working as a manager at St Werburgh’s City Farm.

The team at the farm run a big annual fundraiser and BBF went from donating some beer one year to setting up and running the bar, and donating all beer for free by 2021.

It was one of a number of causes the brewery gave to, but they wanted to create a formal, transparent process that was equitable and accessible for all – and Brewed to Give was born.

“I’ve been in the voluntary sector for 20 years and ridden the highs and the lows of what it is to try and do meaningful work,” Kari tells Bristol24/7.

“In a sector where you’re continuously up against the challenge of making your services safe, inclusive, meaningful, impactful and, at the same time, being able to get the money to do it. Anyone in the voluntary sector would say a very similar story and it just feels like that challenge gets harder and harder.”

Speaking about the launch of Brewed to Give, Kari says the idea was for BBF to cement what it already did in terms of giving back to the community that has helped the business grow.

“We wanted to come up with a package for how we can give back to our community but in a fairer way, so you don’t have to be connected to someone to get your foot in the door,” explains Kari.

“They wanted to stretch what they were already doing and then open it up and make it a really transparent process so anyone in the city doing a good thing could ask for support.”

The team at Bristol Beer Factory have an ambitious vision to expand a business model that enables them to give back to the wider community – photo: Bristol Beer Factory

For the first year, the Brewed to Give pot totalled £80,000, which is split between small-scale donations of stock, direct support in the form of cash donations to registered charities and causes, or through giving beer and setting up bars for events – meaning the cause can keep 100 per cent of the profits.

BBF also offer the use of space for charities and organisations who want to host events.

Such is their commitment to supporting different causes in the community, the brewery team commissioned a carpenter to fit out a mobile bar in a van that BBF can set up and run.

“If you can demonstrate that you’re uplifting communities in any way, shape or form, then you can apply for support so it’s very broad – from community support groups, to food equity programmes, to city farms to PTA groups, and it’s been really good,” says Kari.

As they move into year two, with a bigger pot of money, the BBF team plan to hone in on who they’re supporting, with a particular focus on groups tackling food inequality, those working to remove barriers and improve inclusivity in sport and pathways for young people.

Kari adds: “When I first started, Sam said ‘I want you to grow this so it becomes bigger than Bristol Beer Factory because this is about giving back to our city. This is about supporting our community, who have made Bristol Beer Factory who we are’.”

This ambition is one that Kari intends to work on in the new year, with the hope some like-minded businesses will be willing to join forces and widen the impact of Brewed To Give.

Main photo: Ellie Pipe

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