From smoothies and coffee to gin and beer, B Corp businesses are stealing the show when it comes to making drinks that are both high quality and eco-conscious. Be good to your body and the planet with these B Corp drink brands.
The Best B Corp Drink Companies in the UK
innocent
We’ve been seeing innocent drinks in our supermarkets, on our screens, and in our fridges since 1999. It’s not really a surprise then that our favourite smoothie brand is one of the greenest out there. The brand has built a team of B Keepers to keep up their sustainability goals, which include going completely carbon neutral by 2030 (if not before), championing sustainable farming, and creating a circular economy for its packaging.
Our Pick: innocent Blueberries, Peaches & Apples Smoothie, £3.50. ocado.com
Sipsmith
London-based gin brand Sipsmith has always wanted to champion a better way of crafting gin, and in doing so has pioneered positive change within the industry. Sipsmith’s sustainability strategy covers five missions the brand want to achieve by 2030, including responsible sourcing of raw materials, doing better than net zero across its value chain, and working on resource circularity. This year the brand unveiled a more eco-friendly new bottle design, made from 44 percent recycled content.
The UK’s favourite kombucha brand has always believed that its business should stand for more than just making money. Equinox Kombucha is a certified Organic Soil Association product, meaning that soil preservation and organic farming lie at the heart of production. Promoting a healthier ‘back to basics’ style of living, the brand supports more farmland wildlife than non-organic farming and highlights the benefits of organic produce – both for us and the environment.
Our Pick: Equinox Peach and Turmeric Kombucha, £24.65 for 12 bottles. equinoxkombucha.com
Coaltown Coffee Roasters
Coaltown’s ethos is to create delicious coffee and do good along the way. With the belief that people and planet are just as – if not more – important than profit, the brand focuses on ethical sourcing and sustainable production to ensure that they work responsibly. Not only do Coaltown use compostable coffee bags made by Biotre and exclusively use compostable coffee cups in all sites (made by fellow B Corp, Decent Packaging), the brand also makes sure that all waste coffee grounds are donated to local gardening groups for composting.
Taking on the title of Britain’s first B Corp rum company (and only the second in the world), Hattiers Rum has been setting a standard for sustainable practice since its beginnings in 2017. Hattiers Rum has been plastic free since day one, partnering with Flexi-Hex to provide simple and sustainable packaging, and has refused to farm production outside the UK to cut down on carbon emissions.
Our Pick: Hattiers Resolute Navy Strength Rum, £54.hattiers.com
Brewgooder
Brewgooder was founded on the belief that the beer we enjoy together can be a force for good. The brand was given its B Corp status back in 2018, making it the second ever UK based brewery to be accredited. Brewgooder’s goal is to make beer-brewing a more ethical and eco-conscious industry, and so far they have been successful. Working by the philosophy that every single one of its beers has been ‘Brewed on Purpose’, the brand make sure that what they produce will avoid going to waste. Brewgooder also uses its profits to help fund global projects that give communities access to clean water, an initiative that saw the brand shortlisted for the B Corp award Best For The World: Community.
Our Pick: Brewgooder Session IPA, £22 for 12 cans. brewgooder.com
Dash Water
From serving ‘COPtails’ at COP26 in Glasgow to being on track to save 2,500 tonnes of food waste by 2025, Dash Water is something of a tour de force in the drinks industry. Its basic business premise? Gather wonky fruit and vegetables that don’t meet the perfectionistic supermarket regulations, add a bit of British fizzy water, and you have a soft drink that you can feel good about buying.
Our Pick: Trial Pack, £24.99 for 16 cans, dash-water.com
Days Brewing
Newly B Corp certified zero-alcohol brand Days Brewing is committed to use its business to do good. Ingredients are locally sourced – raised and sustainably brewed in Scotland – with water coming from the Lammermuir Hills nearby. Additionally, the brand is committed to giving two per cent of all sales to organisations that empower fresh thinking towards mental health. Duncan Keith, co-founder of Days Brewing, commented: ‘When we founded the business in 2020 we always said our goal was to become B-Corp certified and establish ourselves as a business that considers a triple bottom line – which means people, planet and profit… For us, beer has always been about bringing people together and we are delighted that our work to date has been recognised and we are an official B Corp business.’
As the only whisky and gin distillery in Europe to meet B Corp’s requirements, it’s safe to say The Botanist has worked hard to achieve its newfound B Corp drink status. Attentive to its staff community, the brand offers Living Wage employment, a five to ten per cent bonus scheme for all, annual cost of living adjustments, private healthcare, life assurance provisions and 34 days paid annual leave as standard. If that wasn’t impressive enough, The Botanist also supports research in environmental fields and conservation through The Botanist Foundation, set up in 2016, which funds PHD students investigating ways to help Scotland‘s juniper population. The brand has also partnered with Botanic Gardens Conservation International over a four-year long project.
Our Pick: The Botanist Islay Dry Gin, from £13, thebotanist.com
Image courtesy of Two Drifters
Two Drifters
Husband and wife team Gemma and Russ Wakeham, based in Devon, are the supremely talented makers of this carbon negative rum. Russ has an academic career all around carbon-capturing and this knowledge is dripped into the meticulous craft of their rum in the distillery (which you can visit).
One of the world’s most esteemed champagne brands, Bollinger has achieved B Corp certification, following in the footsteps of names like Piper Heidsieck – the first producer in the region to receive the accolade. The House has been on its B Corp mission for two years now, though a sustainable ethos has been rooted in the company since its beginnings. Its vineyards are designed to work in harmony with the land and preserve biodiversity, and the brand takes steps to encourage a circular economy: promoting efficient water consumption, strengthening waste management, and increasing product lifespan. Future plans include ensuring all packaging is recycled and recyclable, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent, and reducing glass weight by at least seven percent – all with a goal of 2029.
Bollinger recently launched its highly anticipated 2015 vintage of La Grande Année: an embodiment of the brand’s craftsmanship and traditional production methods.
This Scotch whisky distillery on the island of Islay dates back all the way to the 1800s, but it closed in 1994. In 2001, however, it was brought back to life – and in 2012, the business was bought by Remy Cointreau. Perhaps the most exciting year for the company, though, was 2020, when Bruichladdich achieved B Corp certification. Environmental practices are seen throughout the business: wastewater from the stills is circulated to heat the offices, while the distillery is powered on 100 percent green electricity. The company also scores highly on its staff wellness schemes, plus diversity, and training and development opportunities.
