Toast Ale’s Purebread Pale Ale (5% ABV) has launched in Co-Op stores across London, marking another huge step in growth for the ethical beer brand.
It will be available in all 57 Co-Op food stores, making it easier for Londoners to drink sustainably. Toast Ale is brewed with fresh surplus bread that would otherwise be wasted, and profits go towards tackling food waste.
The Co-op’s efforts to reduce food waste align with Toast Ale’s broader mission to tackle the issue, one beer at a time. Co-op’s relationship with FareShare has seen 1,300 tonnes of surplus food redistributed from its depots to those in need, enough to provide more than 3,085,000 meals. Co-op’s own redistribution programme, Food Share, is designed to tackle store-level surplus by redistributing to local community groups. This Christmas, it also gave away £19 million to these groups.
Toast Ale replaces one third of the grain bill with recovered resources in the form of surplus bread, refining the brewing process without compromising on taste. The small business has upcycled almost 1 million slices of surplus bread and donated more than £15,000 to charity. It also has a collaboration program and has open-sourced its recipe to enable others to be part of their mission.
David Ryan, chief breadwinner at Toast Ale, said: “We’re delighted to be stocked in Co-op, bringing a sustainable offering to their craft beer range. We have a very strong customer base in the capital and are excited to offer drinkers more places to find us.”
Toast Ale is leading the way in providing customers with more sustainable choices in the craft beer category. This approach has resonated with retailers, with major supermarket chains Tesco Express and Waitrose already stocking it.
