ESG SUSTAINABILITY
Schear understands that these donations aren ’ t possible without customers who believe in what the distillery is doing . “ Brands that cut corners and choose the path of least resistance can often make a cheaper , more profitable product .”
When consumers take a stand and say they are willing to vote with their dollars and then vote for the brands that don ’ t cut corners , “ it matters ,” he says . It enables brands that build sustainability into their strategy to grow and thrive .
“ High West in our beautiful home in Park City and so many other businesses like ours have gone from waging an uphill battle against brands who cut corners to now competing on a level playing field , in no small part thanks to consumers choosing to make it that way .”
Sustainability may matter more to High West than others , due to its proximity to nature — and thus , natural disasters . Away from the insulating effects of a city , the distillery experiences firsthand what is at stake when it comes to eco responsibility .
Whether you ’ re making Tennessee Whiskey or Jalisco Tequila , Schear says , “ our products need amazing agricultural inputs and clean water . And you don ’ t grow great rye under smoggy skies , and you sure as hell can ’ t distill a damn thing if we as a global community don ’ t take care of our water .”
A HUMAN-FOCUSED APPROACH Sustainability isn ’ t just about the environment . According to Luis Baez , global brand ambassador for Flor de Caña rum from Nicaragua , it ’ s much larger than that .
“ We don ’ t only consider sustainability from an eco-conscious standpoint . We look at sustainability across three pillars — obviously , being eco-friendly , but also engaging correctly with the community and treating our collaborators the right ,” Baez says .
“ When you think of why sustainability is a part of our ethos , and why it ’ s such an integral part of what we do and how we do thing , for one , it ’ s the right thing to do .” By focusing on the human element , Flor de Caña inspires generational loyalty in its employees . “ From our very beginnings , the leaders of the company wanted to make sure our employees were taking care of ,” Baez says .
For one thing , they started providing free health services and free school for employees and their families . “ It ’ s interesting to see how many workers are second and third generation within the company ,” he notes .
“ It comes from opening doors and educating them and giving them that peace of mind — that education and health will be taken care of — allows our workers to feel a lot more comfortable .”
If you talk to anyone who works at Flor de Caña , Baez continues , “ they ’ ll tell you it ’ s like a big family . That ’ s not a lie ; it really is like a big family . I think that ’ s all part of sustainability as well .”
CERTIFIED SUCCESS The success of Flor de Caña is based on its holistic approach to sustainable practices . The distillery is both fair trade and carbon neutral certified .
Why do companies apply for a certification ? “ It ’ s for validation , to prove to people that your company is actually doing what it says it is ,” Baez says . “ The process to get certified was made up of a million different things you had to send ; you have a lot of visits to the distillery to check your processes . It takes a while .”
The good thing for Flor de Caña was that the company had started down that path a long time ago .
“ We were already distilling with 100 % renewable energy ; we were already capturing all the CO2 emissions in the fermentation process ; we were already planting 50,000 trees a year ,” notes Baez . “ Looking at all those things , the certification came second , because we were already down that path .”
Sustainability needs to be important to everybody , Baez concludes , “ and the alcohol industry shouldn ’ t be left out of it . Everyone needs to get on this trend .”
People can find big and small ways to make a difference , “ and that ’ s a positive impact on our industry .”
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