We live in a beautiful part of the world with an abundance of natural resources so we think it’s our responsibility to walk as lightly as we can.

In 2006 Invercargill Brewery signed up for the First Steps in Sustainability. It’s a continuous process, and one we’re committed to keep on following.

Avid proponents of reuse and recycle, upcycle and bicycle

• We love the whole philosophy behind fill-our-own flagons
• Customers are encouraged to bring their own bags, but if you use one of ours, do so in the knowledge it’s biodegradable
• Much of the equipment in our brewery has been custom upcycled by the clever folk at Weldtech Ltd.
• If we’ve got meetings around town, we bike to them (thanks to our friends at Cycle Surgery for keeping us rolling).

When it comes to our packaged beer bottles we chose to recycle rather than reuse. Because most of our bottles are sold out of town getting them back would chew up more carbon-miles than we would save. Instead we buy single-use bottles, these cost less to make and transport, and can go straight back to glass recycling of course in Invercargill glass isn’t recycled apparently we are just too far away from any market that could use it. That’s why we encourage our local customers to re-fill and re-use their own bottles.

Where-ever possible we choose local, fresh ingredients

Our bulk (and most specialty) malt is sourced from Gladfield Malt at Dunsandel, with a few additional specialties from Cryer Malt in Auckland. Hops are from the NZ Hop Board in Motueka and our apples are specially grown and juiced for us by Darlings Orchard at Ettrick.

And when we make our heritage cider, we’re indebted to the people of Southland for the wind fallen fruits of their old trees – and the marvelous work done by Robert and Robyn Guyton whose Heritage Orchard project is saving the delicious cooking and cider apples of yesteryear for us all – it’s a privilege to be able to make old-fashioned, old English cider the old-fashioned way  with the genuine old-fashioned apples they are working so hard to save.

Our Wine Tap wines are preservative free from New Zealand vineyards, the Pinot Noir from Central Otago, the whites from further afield, bring your own wine bottle or use one of ours and they can be rinsed to be reused, again and again.

Some things cost us a little more, some may save us a smidgen, in the end it probably evens out financially. These are all important steps towards our goal of being New Zealand’s first carbon neutral brewery.

Our hard work is not going unnoticed. In 2014 we were immensely proud to be finalists in the commercial category of the Southland Environmental Awards.

That same year, the New Zealand Brewers Guild awarded Steve the Morton Coutts Trophy for Innovation for inventing the ‘beer in cider box’ packaging system, using 100% recyclable materials they save on freight and carbon miles and have been adopted for use by breweries throughout New Zealand.