In Business, Creating Sustainable Enterprises & Communities

MAKING SOCIAL SENSE WITH THE CONWAYS

In Business, March-April, Vol. 29, No. 2, p. 21

Cleveland, Ohio brewery shows full range of options to develop an enterprise that uses sustainable strategies to reach economic and environmental goals.

FOUNDED in 1988 by brothers Patrick and Daniel Conway, the Great Lakes Brewing Co. has made major commitments to high-quality beer, all-natural foods, recycling and much more. The Conway brothers have incorporated “zero waste initiatives” into day-to-day operations. “While we're strong proponents of operating a manufacturing enterprise that is environmentally friendly, we also realize that it has to make financial sense,” Daniel Conway explains. “In the process of seeking ways to make our operations ecofriendly, we've been able to cut operating costs at the same time. It's simply a matter of taking the time and making the commitment up front to explore the technology that's out there, and find a way to do it that makes environmental, financial and social sense.”
Adds Pat Conway: “Our objective is to make full use of the by-products generated from the brewing process.” Currently, Great Lakes Brewing sells in an eight-state region and is growing by more than 30 percent annually.
Current projects include: Vermicomposting by Great Lakes staff which involves feeding kitchen scraps, office paper, grains and cardboard to worms which then produce castings to fertilize vegetables offered on their brewpub menu; To make an alternative fuel, GLBC operates a shuttle bus and beer delivery truck that run on vegetable oil; For energy efficiency, the brewery uses a system in its cooler that brings in cold air during winter to chill the beer; For its beer garden, GLBC has introduced a retractable “Roman Curtain” roof that encloses the garden allowing use of this indoor/outdoor dining area all year; To fulfill its goals for reuse, GLBC recycles cardboard, glass, plastic, paper and brewers' barley to reduce trash removal cost. It prints menus, napkins and promotional items - also its ecocarton which holds a case of beer - on 100 percent recycled feedstocks.
Great Lakes typically makes about one batch, about 2,000 gallons (or 75 barrels) of beer daily -about 30,000 barrels per year. Currently, about 175,000 pounds of spent grain (barley), 225 gallons of used yeast, and 280 pounds of residual hops leave the brewery monthly. As reported in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, for the past three years, most of the residuals have been collected in 6 to 7-ton trailer loads by dairy farmer Roger Mohrman. He blends the mixture with other ingredients (corn, soybeans, etc.) to feed more than 200 cows. “It helps stretch out the feed costs, and since it's already cooked, it's really palatable,” Mohrman adds.
COMPANY HISTORY
When the firm was launched by the Conway brothers, Great Lakes Brewing settled in a neighborhood that was once the heart of Cleveland's brewing industry. The Conways invited Master Brewer Thaine Johnson to join them and he developed recipes for their first beers. “From the beginning, we incorporated the techniques used by European brewers in our own process,” explains Patrick Conway.
Approximately 1,000 barrels were produced during the first year. The first brew, a Dortmunder-style beer originally called The Heisman (named for the famed football player who lived around the corner from Great Lakes Brewing Company) was an overnight success. Great Lakes Brewing Company's first expansion in 1992 to the adjacent Fries & Scheule Building made it possible for the company to meet the growing demand for its products. In 1998, driven by increased market demand and regional growth, Great Lakes began renovations to a building across from the Fries & Scheule Building location and transformed it into a facility capable of producing up to 70,000 barrels annually. The brewery consists of six buildings, three of which originally served as horse stables and kegging facilities for the Schlather Brewing Company - an operation that was built in 1878 and once brewed up to 90,000 barrels a year. As a result of this $8 million brewery expansion, Great Lakes Brewing Company's distribution area now extends to Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
THE BREWPUB
In the brewpub the Taproom retains much of the charm and mystique from the 1930s era in its grand Tiger Mahogany bar. The Brewhouse features an upclose view of the seven barrel brewing tanks used in the early days of Great Lakes Brewing Company. The Beer Cellar is an extension of the Taproom, but reflects a more authentic “brewpub” atmosphere. The Beer Garden, previously an outdoor patio, includes the retractable “Roman Curtain” roof.

LIST OF ZERO WASTE PRACTICES DEVELOPED BY GREAT LAKES BREWING COMPANY
o Alternative Fuels: GLBC operates a beer delivery truck and a shuttle bus called “The Fatty Wagon” that runs on straight restaurant vegetable oil. Results show that engines running on straight vegetable oil produce 40 percent less soot than diesel and are 25 percent cleaner.
o Brewery Grain & Breads: Zoss, the Swiss Baker, produces the cracked barley beer bread and pretzels found on the menu using grains from the brewing process.
o Organic Mushrooms: Killbuck Farms uses brewery grains as a substrate for growing organic shitake and oyster mushrooms. The substrate is combined with sawdust and paper to serve as a medium for growing the organic mushrooms used in entrees.
o All-Natural Meats, Dairy & Produce: GLBC's Brewpub regularly features all-natural beef, pork, chicken, cheeses and produce from local, organic farmers. A number of local farmers are raising livestock on a diet of brewery grains.
o Urban Greenhouse and Gardens: Kentucky Gardens, the community garden that produces vegetables for the GLBC Brewpub, is the site of a “passive solar greenhouse”. The combination of energy conservation techniques in the SunTrap design allows it to successfully grow organic produce year-round without any supplemental heat or light energy. GLBC also sponsors and receives harvests from Common Ground Garden, a local urban community garden system headed by Cleveland's Summer Sprouts Program.
o Recycling: GLBC recycles cardboard, glass, plastic, steel/aluminum, paper and brewer's barley to reduce trash removal fees. GLBC prints newsletters, menus, beverage napkins and promotional items on 100 percent recycled paper. In addition, all four-pack and six-pack packaging contains 100 percent recycled fibers and the unbleached “eco-carton” (which holds a case of beer) also consists of 100 percent recycled materials.
o Vermicomposting: GLBC uses vermicomposting to produce natural fertilizer. A portion of paper, kitchen scraps, grain and cardboard is fed to worms, which then produce castings used to fertilize the herbs and vegetables found on the menu.
o Energy Efficiency: GLBC has a cooling system in the Brewery cooler that brings in cold air during winter months to cool the beer. Skylights and light sensors have been installed in the Tank Farm and Brewery cooler to allow in natural light and minimize use of electricity. An “air curtain” is in place in the Brewpub to keep warm air from escaping when patrons enter and exit.
o Low-Fill Beer: To minimize the waste of throwing away “low-fill beers” (bottles of beer that cannot go to retail because they are not filled to the maximum level), GLBC uses the beer in a number of menu items, including salad dressings and the Stilton Cheddar Cheese Soup. Mitchell's Ice Cream also uses the GLBC Porter in the exclusive Edmund Fitzgerald Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream.
o Beer Garden Enclosure: GLBC introduced its newly renovated Beer Garden complete with a retractable “Roman Curtain” roof. The Roman Curtain is a durable canvas roof that encloses the current open-air Beer Garden, which allows use of this indoor/outdoor dining area all year. The Beer Garden also includes a radiant heat fireplace and floor, a straw bale wall and 10 ft. high sliding glass doors.