Caspar Poyck, cofounder and senior director of plant operations at hard kombucha brewer Flying Embers, shares how the company works to reduce its environmental footprint, including capturing the CO2 generated by its fermentation processes to add fizz to its fruit-flavored kombucha beverages. After the founders experienced the 2017 Thomas Fires in Ojai, Calif., they renamed the company Flying Embers to commemorate victims of the tragedy and heroism of first responders who helped save the historic building where they started. The fire burned 440 square miles and was the largest wildfire in California history at the time. After confronting the blazing consequences of climate change, Flying Embers has embraced sustainability as a core tenet of its mission. Caspar and his team have worked to reduce the use of plastic in packaging, encourage recycling, and transform what used to be waste into valuable components of its products.
For example, Flying Embers used to purchase industrially-made CO2 to carbonate its kombucha, even though the fermentation process generated CO2 they discarded as waste. They captured the fermentation CO2 to use in their drinks and found it improved the flavor and experience of the beverage. The machine-made CO2 had added a metallic flavor while the natural CO2 provided a rich undertone along with finer bubbles in the kombucha. Thinking in green terms leads to surprising innovations. Caspar also shares his work to replace plastic six-pack rings and introduce recycled and compostable paper packages. If your small firm thinks operating more sustainably is a costly luxury available only to large companies, Flying Embers’ experience will challenge that thinking.
The company now supports first responders in climate disaster areas and contributes 1% of its revenue to charity. Learn more about Flying Embers, its wide range of hard kombucha flavored with fruit and spices, along with hard seltzers and beer with home delivery available in nine states at www.flyingembers.com.
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