Happy New Year, everyone! We are ringing in 2022 with a really big, exciting announcement:
Lost Grove Brewing is officially a Certified B Corporation! We are thrilled with this accomplishment and honored to be the first brewery in Idaho to become a B Corp.
We know that some of you are now celebrating with us while some of you are saying, “What’s a B Corp?” We’re so glad you asked!
What is a B Corp?
B Corp is a designation awarded to for-profit companies that are dedicated to using their businesses as a force for good. B Corps meet the highest verified standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability to all of their stakeholders. Kind of like a Rainforest Alliance Certification, but for businesses.
Ever since Lost Grove started 4 years ago, our founder and owner Jake Black, and general manager Kylie Bolland have had B Corp Certification as a goal. Supporting the community, giving back, being environmentally conscious, and being an ethical employer are all tenants that Lost Grove has prioritized since the get-go. Becoming a B Corp formalizes our commitment to these ideas and brings us into a community of other like-minded businesses that are dedicated to making the world a better place for all.
The Environment
We recognize the impacts that climate change is having right here in Idaho and across the world. And we are dedicated to doing our part to offset the ways that we are contributing to it. Getting certified as a B Corp required a detailed and comprehensive review of all aspects of Lost Grove’s business, which helped us dive deeper into questions about how we can improve our environmental sustainability.
This year, we installed solar panels on our patio bar, making the outdoor bar cooler completely powered by solar. We will be buying carbon credits to offset our carbon emissions. We’ve started tracking employee transportation and incentivizing employees for taking alternative transportation. And the Neighborhood Concert Series we held this summer? Completely powered by zero-emission batteries from Joule Case. These are just some of the steps we are taking and we are dedicated to improving every year.
Giving Back
We love working with our nonprofit partners through our Powerful Pints program. Every year, we collaborate with 12 different nonprofit organizations, highlighting a different one each month. We work to raise awareness and funds, give the nonprofits access to the brewery for events, and invite them to our annual BFF Block Party which raises funds for Idaho Gives.
In addition to our Powerful Pints partners, we collaborate with other nonprofit events and requests for donations as much as we can throughout the year. We also reimburse our employees for up to 120 hours of volunteer work per year to allow them extra time to give back to the community in ways that feel important to them individually.
Employment
We have worked really hard to make Lost Grove a great place to work. And while selling beer is automatically pretty fun, we want to make sure that our employees are taken care of in other important ways. This year, we raised all staff wages to meet the living wage standard for Ada County calculated by MIT. We provide a flexible schedule so our employees can balance their personal lives with work, and offer 25 vacation days per year to full-time staff. This year, we also joined WeVow, a company that provides training for employees to learn about and prevent sexual harassment and provides counseling resources in the event that someone does experience an adverse experience at work.
The Future
There is much to be done. We don’t share these accomplishments because we think we are ultimately where we want to be as a business or to be boastful (although, we are very proud of the work we are doing and have done). We believe it’s important to share the ways our business is working to make a difference, to speak up for the values we believe in, and to start conversations about how businesses can use their resources to join in building a better community.
As Lost Grove continues to grow, we aspire to become carbon neutral, continually increase our capacity for charitable giving, and eventually provide full benefits for our staff. As we learn more from the B Corp community, we will find new ways to grow and improve and it’s a journey we are so excited for.
Let’s Celebrate!
We are celebrating our B Corp designation this Friday, Jan 7! Come down to the taproom and raise a pint with us. Hillfolk Noir will be playing music from 4-6 pm. Our Powerful Pint beer this month is our Four Year Festbeir. Buy a pint of this delicious Marzen-style ale and $2 from each pint will go to benefit our January Powerful Pint partner, the Meridian Canine Rescue.
We are excited to celebrate with you!
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