Toast Brewing and Northern Monk Join Forces To Tackle Food Waste

Toast Brewing has teamed up with Northern Monk for the second in its Breaking Bread series, a brand new beer brewed with surplus bakery bread.

In the UK, 20 million slices of bread are wasted every single day. Across bakeries, sandwich factories, retailers and in our homes, we waste 44% of all the bread baked.

In the lead up to Christmas, things get worse: 4.2 million Christmas dinners are wasted each year across the UK.

Toast has been using surplus bread to brew beer since 2015, on a mission to end food waste. The brewing company often collaborates with other brewers to share its unique circular economy approach.

Northern Monk is an independent, founder-led brewery focused on creating drink experiences that delight, unite and do right, with creativity, community and collaboration at their core.

They recently gained B Corp certification, like Toast. B Corps are businesses that meet high social and eco standards.

The two have collaborated on a number of beers previously, including a punchy Peanut Butter and Jam Stout in 2024.

This new collab is a 4.5% dry-hopped Lager, brewed with 19,000 slices of surplus bakery bread. Stacked up, that would reach the height of 12 Angel of the North statues!

The bread replaces some malted barley, reducing the environmental footprint of the beer. Classic hops give herby aromas of freshly cut grass with a citrus-led bite.

“The Breaking Bread series is all about connecting people – across the brewing industry and across communities – to raise a Toast to planet Earth”, said Rob Wilson, Co-founder at Toast Brewing. “We’ve loved collaborating with Northern Monk over the years, so it was great that they joined us for our latest series of epic brewery collaborations for Co-op.”

This new release is the second in Toast’s Breaking Bread series, a limited-edition range of brewery collabs. The first beer was with Tiny Rebel in Wales. The series celebrates the power of community and the joy of bringing people together over a pint.

Russell Bisset, Founder & Managing Director of Northern Monk, said: “At Northern Monk, we believe great beer should do more than taste good - it should do good. Turning surplus bread into great beer is a simple idea with huge impact. The Breaking Bread series really highlights what can happen when breweries come together around a shared purpose. We’re proud to have collaborated with fellow B Corp, Toast Brewing, to make it happen.”

The Breaking Bread series is exclusively available in over 500 Co-op stores nationwide. The  limited-edition 4.5% dry-hopped Lager with Northern Monk is priced at £3.25 for a 440ml can.

Andrew Birdsy, Beer Buyer at Co-op said: "Partnering with brands that share our commitment to sustainability and the environment is important to us and our members and customers, so we’re thrilled to be adding this exciting new beer from Toast Brewing and Northern Monk exclusively to our stores.”

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Notes to Editors

About Toast Brewing: 

They set out to make beer that tastes amazing and does amazing things too. That’s why they brew with surplus bread, turning leftover loaves into liquid gold. What’s more, 100% of their profits go to environmental charities to buy Mother Nature a round and raise a Toast to planet Earth. Toastbrewing.com | @toast.brewing on Instagram | Facebook |  LinkedIn

About Northern Monk:

Founded in 2013 by Russell Bisset and Brian Dickson, Northern Monk has become one of the UK’s fastest-growing craft breweries. Based in Holbeck, Leeds, Northern Monk brews a diverse range of award-winning beers, including its flagship Hazy Pale Ale, Faith. The brewery also operates six bar venues in Leeds, Manchester, York, Edinburgh and Bradford, and regularly supports community causes through its Faith in Futures Foundation. In 2025, Northern Monk was named among the Top 50 Best Mid-Sized Companies to Work For in the UK, ranked second in the Best Food & Drink Companies to Work For, and achieved B Corp accreditation.

NorthernMonk.com l @northernmonk on Instagram

For media queries please contact:

Toast Brewing - Louisa Ziane.

Email: press@toastbrewing.com

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