Besties, Biers and Snacks
When two friends are aligned in ethics, it can only mean one thing: plastic-free and vegan fun! By Laura Gaga
My vestie (vegan bestie), Sammy, recently moved back home to the UK from Dubai at the same time that I was taking annual leave from work. This is why we are mates — we are aligned! With gig tickets booked, nights out and a stay at a seaside caravan planned, it was time to crack open the champagne! I say champagne but truthfully, we are not really champagne drinking kind of gals (think more a lemonade budget), so it was beers over bubbles.
We are partial to a cheeky pre-drink, even taking a couple of cans out with us for the journey. I kind of feel like this ought to be my cue to say, ‘drink responsibly, readers', but considering bar prices these days I don't know how anyone can afford to do otherwise! We paid £6.50 a pint at the Foals concert in West London! Fortunately, we are not only aligned when it comes to having time off but also when it comes to being fed and watered. Online shop, Bier Company (biercompany.co.uk) had been in touch offering me a sample box of their beers and snacks, and the box arrived on the same day that Sammy did! In the box was 12 independent craft beers, most clearly labelled vegan, sweet chilli flavour crisps, jalapeño crunchy coated peanuts and also a masala curry flavour. All the snacks are happily suitable for vegans. There was also a beer glass, beer mats and a pair of socks — I'm wondering who told them about the holes in mine! Bier Company recently launched a subscription service, using the discount code on their website you can get a box of eight beers, glass, snack and beer guide for £12.95 — each beer working out at almost a fiver less than what we paid in Olympia!
It turns out that Sammy and I are not the only best mates to enjoy a bargain beer, Bier Company was founded by best mates Stefan White and Tom Renshaw. Similarly, to Sammy and me, Stefan and Tom's values align. The pair made a commitment to sustainable can packaging for their nuts, becoming the first snack in Europe to do so.
In a statement online, Tom explains the brand's ethics: “At Bier Company, we have a strong commitment to sustainability and it's one of the founding principles of the company. Our snack product
Bier Nuts was the first truly plasticfree packaged snack in the UK! They come in fully recyclable steel cans with aluminium lids, helping us to reduce plastic waste. Traditionally, nuts come in single-use plastic packets, which go straight to landfills. Our cans are recycled and made into new cans within 90 days of hitting the recycling system. Shockingly, less than nine per cent of single-use plastic packets that are sent for recycling are actually recycled and can take up to 400 years to break down naturally!”
“We have also made sure our packaging is plastic-free by using cardboard, gummed paper tape and no bubble wrap for glassware packaging, plus, all our beers come in easily recycled aluminium cans. Many of our cans already contain a high percentage of recycled metals.”
“Our commitment goes far deeper than simply the packaging that everyone sees. Unlike brands that just make a customerfacing ‘show' of sustainability, we also heavily limit the amount of pallet wrap used in our warehouse operation and all cardboard waste from our suppliers is crushed in an automatic cardboard baler. These bails are loaded onto FSC sustainable timber pallets and go straight into a recycling plant.”
“Doing our part for the environment is extremely important to us. “We believe the reason a lot of snack companies aren't following suit and switching to sustainable alternatives is simply down to cost and resistance to investing in alternative methods of production and packaging — as plastic packets remain far cheaper than recyclable alternatives.”
“At the Bier Company, we are determined to help solve the problem and demand change, prioritising our planet and people over profit. Creating greater awareness of the disparity between dynamic, forward-thinking companies like ourselves and the ‘old school' giants that still prioritise profit over sustainability is really important.”
If, like Sammy and I, or Stefan and Tom, you and your bestie are aligned when it comes to sustainability and snacks, why not clink cans and drink to this. If you are not aligned, then what better way to discuss sustainability, and show them the vegan sign, than over a cold beer?
For more from Laura, follow her on Instagram @reduction_raider1
Or listen to her on episodes 2 and 16 of Vegan Life Magazine Podcast, veganlifemag.com/vegan-podcast.