Our Sustainability Story

Thank you for your interest in Great Lakes Brewing Company! We currently sell our beer in OH, PA, IL, KY, MI, NJ and Washington, DC as well as parts of IN, MN, NC, NY, VA, WI and WV. As capacity permits, we look for opportunities within our current footprint and around our region for opportunities to expand.
Below you’ll find just a few of our sustainability initiatives. If you’d like to dig even deeper, download our complete sustainability report, which shares our current initiatives, tracks progress, and outlines our goals for the coming year.

Water Stewardship

Because we’re located two miles from the shores of Lake Erie and we produce a product that is over 90% water, we’re committed to protecting this valuable resource in brewery operations. While brewing and bottling utilizes a large amount of water, we do our best to reduce and reuse within our bottling and cleaning processes. In 2016, we were able to reduce our water usage rate by 9% and we continue to encourage our employees to look for more ways to keep reducing that number.

Local Foods & Farming

The Great Lakes Brewing Co. Local & Responsible Food Program was established to ensure ethical sourcing of the highest quality ingredients. We believe quality and locality go together. By buying locally, we reduce our carbon footprint and keep dollars in our local community. We use our buying power in alignment with our core values to serve you the freshest food available.

Our relationships with local farms are a highlight of our Local & Responsible Food Program. In 2008, GLBC established its own farm, Pint Size Farm at Hale Farm & Village, to expand local produce offerings in brewpub dishes and pub exclusive beers. In 2010 we became foundational partners with the Ohio City Farm, a relationship that continues to this day. Operated by Re:Source, Ohio City Farm helped our neighborhood become more food secure while creating jobs for resettled refugees, and has become one of the largest urban farms in the United States.

We have crafted a network of local food growers and producers in Ohio City and the surrounding community. We pride ourselves on sourcing local ingredients, including meat from local butchers, and breads, desserts, and pastries from local bakeries.

Waste as an
Opportunity

We don’t think of our byproducts as waste. Along with traditional recycling, we believe in repurposing everything we can. Spent brewer’s grain finds new life as a soil amendment on our farms and feed for livestock used in our brewpub’s menu items. Low-fill beers become sauces, soups, sausage, and even soap. Take, make, remake–that’s how we operate.
Great Lakes Brewing Company
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