Ethical Business View of New Belgium BrewingJoin now to read essay Ethical Business View of New Belgium BrewingColorado Technical UniversityCase Analysis #3Business EthicsRobert BaretichAugust 24, 2007Many of the case analysis in this book contain companies who have been under scrutiny for its ethical behaviors. There are some that provide great examples of how an ethical business should run. Through excellent use of social responsibility, employee compensation, and a good product, the New Belgium Brewing Company stands out as an excellent example.
The New Belgium Brewing Company was founded in 1991 by Jeff Lebesch and his wife, Kim Jordan. The idea started from a trip to Belgium, a country that is known for its remarkable beer and its centuries old traditions of making it as well. The trip culminated by the making of the first batch of Fat Tire beer in the couple’s basement. The name was chosen in honor of the bicycle trip Jeff had made to Belgium. Within years the homebrew was gaining a devoted customer base and enabled them to move out of the basement into a facility that promotes production on a larger scale. The couple outlined their idea for the new company on a hiking trip to the Rockies. These core values that were penned on that trip are still the core values that the multi-million dollar brewery sticks to this day.
Some of the major environmental issues the company addresses are in the core values of the company. Reuse, recycle, and reduce. New Belgium has many ways they cut waste. They use solar lighting in the daytime to save electricity. This electricity is actually powered by a wind turbine that made the brewery the first fully wind-powered brewery in the United States. They also encourage farmers in the area to take the spent grain to feed livestock. One of the more innovative features the company uses to save energy is to redirect the steam to do several things such as start the next cycle of brewing, heating the floor tiles, and deice the loading docks in cold weather. The brewery also gives employees who have served a year with the company a bike in which they encourage the employee to ride to work.
New Belgium Brewing has also taken a very clever stance on its philanthropy and advertising. On its advertising campaign, the actual beer appears only for 5 seconds on its 30 second time slot. Its tag line is “Follow Your Folly…Ours Is Beer.” This lets consumers know that the bottom line of the company is making great beer. The ways in which New Belgium donates profits of beer sales also has an impact on their advertising and overall sales. The brewery has donated more than $1.6 million since the company was started. The New Belgium Philanthropy Committee, which is actually composed of employees throughout the brewery, from owners, to production workers, are responsible for the decisions in this arena. The donations generally go to organizations within their market who engage
The donation of $500 to New Belgium goes to a small number of local charities, some of which actually have some role in educating and supporting local beer farmers as they pursue a more sustainable business model. Â New Belgium began out with about 1000 employees and now has over 2,500. The company also serves a variety of outdoor facilities, including a facility for farmers and an outdoor tasting room where they sell bottled and brewed beers.
New Belgium Beer Co-op is one of the most active and generous philanthropic, non-profit and charitable companies in the United States. To date, the company has donated $1.5 to several local and national organizations, most of which were able to provide much-needed education and/or support to local communities. New Belgium Beer Co-op is currently making a goal of $10,000 to buy some of its equipment that will help them stay on the ground as the community goes green. In 2014, the company announced that it would be building three 100-case “beer veneer” brewing machines. The machines will be powered by a wind power generating plant in Washington state and then brought to the brewery to make beer. The machine, which will be equipped with 2,000 miles of continuous hydraulic, was first installed by Mark Walker of New Belgium Beer Co-op in 2011. One of Walker’s previous beers, Wild West Brewery, was developed there. However, the machine became operational three years ago and has not gone as planned since. There’s no guarantee though that new equipment will work as planned for New Belgium Brewery to take full advantage of its new 3D printing technology and continue on to make other products. This time around, the company has decided to focus on creating “better” beers, while also looking to create “improved” ones. That means the company is looking for the next phase of its “up-and-coming beers” as it does with more than 100 of its beers, including its new 12-packaged brew. The brewery is opening four more production locations in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The company also recently added three new brews. One, an original Belgian Porter, is the first to go nationwide. The brewery’s new, 5-gallon barrel-aged ale, The Lager Barrel-Aged Ale, is one of five original beer lagers in its portfolio: The Lager Barrel-Aged Ale, The Lager Barrel-Aged Brew Ale, and The Lager Barrel Barrel-Aged Wheat Ale (New Belgium Brewing was also the first company to make a full-flavored beer, The Lager Barrel-Bged Wheat Kettle, in 2001). New Belgium is also making four more beer batches in preparation for a second line of six more kegs going into the brewery next year. With this, New Belgium will be ready to deliver on one of its most requested goals and offer a new product every year in order to create more unique and refreshing beers that are affordable and more affordable for consumers. The beer industry is
The donation of $500 to New Belgium goes to a small number of local charities, some of which actually have some role in educating and supporting local beer farmers as they pursue a more sustainable business model. Â New Belgium began out with about 1000 employees and now has over 2,500. The company also serves a variety of outdoor facilities, including a facility for farmers and an outdoor tasting room where they sell bottled and brewed beers.New Belgium Beer Co-op is one of the most active and generous philanthropic, non-profit and charitable companies in the United States. To date, the company has donated $1.5 to several local and national organizations, most of which were able to provide much-needed education and/or support to local communities. New Belgium Beer Co-op is currently making a goal of $10,000 to buy some of its equipment that will help them stay on the ground as the community goes green. In 2014, the company announced that it would be building three 100-case “beer veneer” brewing machines. The machines will be powered by a wind power generating plant in Washington state and then brought to the brewery to make beer. The machine, which will be equipped with 2,000 miles of continuous hydraulic, was first installed by Mark Walker of New Belgium Beer Co-op in 2011. One of Walker’s previous beers, Wild West Brewery, was developed there. However, the machine became operational three years ago and has not gone as planned since. There’s no guarantee though that new equipment will work as planned for New Belgium Brewery to take full advantage of its new 3D printing technology and continue on to make other products. This time around, the company has decided to focus on creating “better” beers, while also looking to create “improved” ones. That means the company is looking for the next phase of its “up-and-coming beers” as it does with more than 100 of its beers, including its new 12-packaged brew. The brewery is opening four more production locations in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The company also recently added three new brews. One, an original Belgian Porter, is the first to go nationwide. The brewery’s new, 5-gallon barrel-aged ale, The Lager Barrel-Aged Ale, is one of five original beer lagers in its portfolio: The Lager Barrel-Aged Ale, The Lager Barrel-Aged Brew Ale, and The Lager Barrel Barrel-Aged Wheat Ale (New Belgium Brewing was also the first company to make a full-flavored beer, The Lager Barrel-Bged Wheat Kettle, in 2001). New Belgium is also making four more beer batches in preparation for a second line of six more kegs going into the brewery next year. With this, New Belgium will be ready to deliver on one of its most requested goals and offer a new product every year in order to create more unique and refreshing beers that are affordable and more affordable for consumers. The beer industry is