Independent Leeds brewery Northern Monk have shared their annual Impact Report for 2025, marking another significant year for the business.
The report sees Northern Monk celebrate continued growth alongside upholding their ambitious and industry-leading environmental pledges.
The brewery has bucked the industry trend by outperforming the grocery market while also adding four new venues to their bar portfolio over the last 18 months: Northern Monk Refectory York, The Hanging Bat in Edinburgh, Northern Monk at Darley Street Market in Bradford, and Trinity Tap in the Trinity Leeds shopping centre.
This success is reflected in the 2025 Annual Impact Report. which celebrates Northern Monk being voted as the second best company to work for in the UK food and drink sector last year.
The report also recognises Northern Monk’s commitment to a new Climate Action Plan, which aims for a 90% reduction of the baseline in its direct emissions by 2030. The introduction of low-emission technology such as new heat pumps installed across multiple locations, emissions-focused process changes, and the switch to renewable energy tariffs will help the brewery reach their goal.
In 2025, Northern Monk reduced their direct emissions by 12% year on year and, significantly, reduced the pints of water used to pints of beer packed ratio for the second year running since the initial 2023 water audit. This is a notable achievement considering the independent brewery’s growth over the last two years, having produced 4.4 megalitres of beer in 2025 compared to 2023’s 3.8 megalitres. The brewery’s commitment to clean-in-place efficiency, continual process optimisation, and leak fixing has brought the water used to beer produced ratio down, with plans to lower it even further. Last year also saw Northern Monk become B Corp certified, in recognition of the brewery’s commitment to high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
Some 97.6% of waste was repurposed or recycled, but the company is looking to close the loop on waste production entirely. Working with suppliers on takeback, circular and recycling schemes for waste such as large plastic containers, pallets and malt sacks, as well as organic material like spent grains and hops, plans are already in place to reduce the brewery’s use of plastic key kegs by 30% for 2027.
Elsewhere, the Impact Report shows that Northern Monk:
- Welcomed 60 new hires and 31 internal moves/promotions;
- Was voted the 31st best company to work for in Yorkshire and The Humber;
- Was voted the 50th best mid-sized UK company to work for; and
- Polled employees, with 91% strongly agreeing that they love working for Northern Monk.
Looking to the present year, Northern Monk welcomed new chief executive, Damian Guha, in May. Bringing extensive knowledge and experience of FMCG with him, Damian’s appointment enables Northern Monk’s founder, Russell Bisset, to focus on the creative and conceptual areas of the business.
This year is a landmark year for Northern Monk’s charitable work. Faith in Futures has evolved into the Northern Monk Foundation, inspired by a single, clear purpose: improving access to the outdoors for everyone. Neither a rebrand nor a new start; the change is a conscious, deliberate decision to maximise the impact of everything the brewery has built so far. Since 2020, Northern Monk has donated more than £150,000 to community causes, supporting more than 20 charities and grassroots organisations.
“2025 was a landmark year for Northern Monk,” said Russell Bisset. “I’m incredibly proud of what the team has achieved, and of the results documented in the Impact Report. We’ve celebrated opening four new venues across the north of the UK over the last 18 months and produced more beer than ever before, whilst continuing to reduce our direct emissions year on year and make real progress on water efficiency as a craft brewery.
“However, beer is as much about people as it is about brewing. 2025 saw us grow our community by 60 new members of staff across the company, and become a certified B Corp, giving us an even greater responsibility to keep improving.
“With ambitious plans to reduce our emissions further already under way, and having welcomed Damian Guha into the fold as CEO earlier this year, we’re looking to the future with a powerful sense of purpose. We’re excited for this next chapter and the impact we can make together, whilst staying true to our commitment to looking after our people, our communities and our planet.”
