Sourcing our grain and wood

The source of the products we use in our business are an important consideration as this is part of the extended footprint of our business. Grain and meat production have significant impacts on land use, while meat and dairy are water and carbon intensive products. Australia is identified as one of 11 global deforestation fronts, primarily due to land clearing for beef production in Queensland. Land clearing has accelerated in NSW also, primarily for cotton growing but also including grain production. Industrialised hardwood timber production from Australian native forests is not sustainable and is significantly impacting many species and ecosystems as well reducing the carbon storage capacity of forests and impacting water catchments.

We made a conscious decision to source the vast majority of our grain from Voyager Craft Malts in the NSW Riverina. The Riverina is our closest grain growing area, so we have reduced the carbon footprint of our grain transport as much as possible.  The Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area which was established in the early 1900s. Therefore we can be confident that we are not buying grain from land that has been recently cleared of native vegetation. Further, Voyager have a very similar ethos to ourselves: they seek to reduce the carbon intensity of their operations at every step – for example by using agricultural waste (from nuts and cotton) to fire their kiln.

We have shifted the production of our pilsner (and other seasonal beer styles that require pilsner malt) to use Voyager’s certified organic pilsner malt in order to reduce chemical impacts on farms. We are investigating the possibility of using organic ale malt also.

Our brewery contains lots of Australian hardwood. Although beautiful and excellent for furniture due to its hard-wearing nature, most Australian hardwood is sourced from native forest logging operations which are hugely destructive and are a direct threat to native species such as greater gliders, koalas and powerful owls. Unfortunately, the Australian Forestry Standard (the standard that certifies native hardwood) is not broadly supported beyond the logging industry, and falls short of the international Forestry Stewardship Council certification. Our hardwood was sourced from trees that had been felled on private land for building purposes – in other words, they were a waste product. 

Our outdoor tables and indoor bar were made by the local Men’s Shed, a part of the not-for-profit Bay and Basin Community Resources.

Our merchandise supplier is AS Colour that is a member of the Better Cotton Initiative and has complete traceability in its supply chains.