Nicholson’s Pub Collection and Stroud Brewery, the first brewery in the UK to be certified as both organic and a B Corporation, have teamed up to shine a spotlight on beer during the UK’s annual celebration of all things organic. To mark Organic September, Stroud Brewery will supply Nicholson’s pubs with a beer named Gaia, a 4.2% organic pale ale, brewed exclusively for the chain. This will be the first time an organic beer has been offered in every one of Nicholson’s pubs throughout the UK including Northern Ireland. The hope is to encourage other pubs to add an organic beer to their bar, so customers who might not have tried one before can give it a go.
The Stroud Brewery-Nicholson’s collaboration will be a part of Organic September’s Tap Takeover which celebrates pubs, bars and hospitality venues choosing to support “people and planet-friendly pints”. For Nicholson’s Pub Collection, it’s part of their ongoing commitment to meeting sustainability targets that will have a long-lasting positive impact upon the environment.
Organic September is an annual event organised by the Soil Association and Organic UK. It’s a month which shines a beacon on organic and celebrates the care and attention paid to creating exceptional products that are better for people and the environment.
Organic standards govern how a product is grown, farmed or made and apply not just to farming but anything claiming to be organic, such as clothes and cosmetics. Products must be processed without the use of artificial chemicals or inputs (including preservatives, colours or flavours) at every stage in order to display an organic logo/mark. The organic certification is underpinned by law and can only be awarded by Government-recognised bodies such as the Soil Association.
Founder & MD of Stroud Brewery, Greg Pilley, stated “We are delighted to team up with Nicholson’s Pub Collection and help them embed organic into their regular offering. Stroud Brewery is on a mission to see organic beer offered in every pub and, eventually, to see all beer brewed organically.”
He continued “Offering customers an organic beer is a straightforward way to meet consumer demand for purchasing with purpose, and positively support the farmers who are helping to regenerate the health of soils and the environment.”
Beneficiaries of organic farming include wildlife – and publicans! Research has found that there’s up to 30% more insects, plants and birds living on an organic farm compared to a conventional one. How do publicans benefit? The demand from consumers for greener choices is rapidly increasing as people look more and more to buy more responsibly produced options. Research by company CGA by NIQ revealed that sustainability is important in the choice of venue by 44% of customers visiting pubs, bars and restaurants.
During September, Stroud Brewery invites publicans to stock a cask or keg of organic beer and see what their customers think of it. Though, obviously, Stroud Brewery has plenty to choose from, any organic beer will do! Publicans can register their pub on the Soil Associations’ Tap Takeover map during Organic September: https://www.soilassociation.org/certification/marketing-organic/organic-september/organic-tap-takeover
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Greg Pilley, founder & MD, Stroud Brewery:
Tel: 01453 887122; greg@stroudbrewery.co.uk
Caroline Aistrop, Green Spark Marketing
Tel: 07894 663436; caroline@greensparkmarketing.co.uk
NOTES TO EDITORS
Stroud Brewery brews 100% organic beer and opened for business in 2006 when mixing business with sustainability was virtually unheard of. It was the first UK brewery to be certified as both organic and as a B Corporation – a global corporate mark for businesses which are meeting tough standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. Read more about how the brewery is reducing its environmental impact here.
As well as a wide selection of award-winning organic beers, the Brewery offers an extensive range of events in its taproom which welcomes anyone and everyone: from live bands and lego-building sessions for kids to board games nights, themed food evenings and bungee aerobics, the brewery prides itself in being family friendly, appealing to all ages and being a place for people to meet, share, grow, laugh and learn.
During the past 15 months, Stroud Brewery has won 23 awards including Best Sustainable Pub in the Great British Pub Awards, New Beer of the Year in the Brewers’ Choice National Awards; Sustainable Business of the Year in the C2S SW Business Awards and Gold in the Session Lager Can category of the SIBA National Awards 2024.
Nicholson’s Pub Collection celebrated 150 years of their iconic British pubs last year. They boast some of the most beautiful and ornate pubs across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Each pub serves a superb range of cask ales – including their own Nicholson’s Pale Ale brewed by St Austell Brewery in Cornwall. Since founder William Nicholson opened the collection’s first pub in 1873, Nicholson’s have been the epitome of the Great British pub, with warm hospitality and quality food and drink. The team has a passion for real pubs, hearty food and a friendly welcome. Nicholson’s pubs has 81 sites across the country. A list of Nicholson’s venues can be found here: https://www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk/ourvenues.
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