Fierce Beer: Passing the baton

For most breweries, reaching a tenth anniversary is cause to celebrate and reflect on achievements of the last decade — after all, the lion’s share of the last decade has not been easy to weather — but for others, it's an excuse to think seriously about the future. At Fierce Beer in Aberdeen, the brewery’s tenth birthday has seen a shift in priorities and perspectives, the most notable of which comes in the form of the Fierce for Good project. On its surface, Fierce for Good takes a format we’re familiar with — the proceeds of beers in the range are donated to charitable causes — but uniquely, Fierce for Good is an employee-led initiative. 

“When [co-founders] David [McHardy] and Dave and Louise [Grant] set up commercially, they didn't set out with a mission; they wanted to take their home brew project and make it bigger, and make good beer that was inspired by what they were drinking at the time — ten years ago, that was bitter IPAs, and big Russian Imperial stouts,” says head of creative Rob MacKay. “Now, with their support, it’s exciting for us as employees of the business that they’ve built, to be the drivers of a cause that Fierce beer can build around, and grow into the business over the next ten years.”

At the time of writing, Fierce for Good has seen the release of three beers, This IPA Plants Trees, This Beer Gives Back, and This Hazy Lowers Carbon, each of which do what they say on the tin by working with charities selected by the team, including The Woodland Trust, and Rewilding Britain. “We know that as breweries grow, they have increased production, increased logistics, increased transportation needs, all of which have a bigger impact on the world around us,” says Rob. “For us, getting bigger and having more impact also means we have more responsibility to manage and mitigate negative effects.

“What we really wanted to do was try and build something that could be long lasting and would feel like its own entity within Fierce beer. We haven't set up a registered charity becausethat would come with an awful lot of red tape and would have taken up too much resource. So, we decided to set up a foundation that sits within our company, which is overseen by employees of our business, not directors, and is committed to publishing quarterly reports. So today, Fierce for Good is chaired by myself, and we have a steering committee of six people in the business. That essentially means that what we do with the money raised through the sale of beer can be accounted for, and is transparent, and actually goes towards causes that we as a company feel strongly about.”

Rob acknowledges that this kind of setup is common in corporate companies, but also points out that Fierce is not one such company; it’s a team of 40 people, working within a medium-sized brewery where margins are still small, and the economic climate is uniquely challenging. “When you're small, you don't always get the opportunities to go and do these kinds of things, because you're just at the grindstone, trying to get the beer made and out the door,” says Rob. “Now that we're a bit bigger and we can manage it, we're hoping to support staff doing volunteer days, whether that's with partners or causes that they personally want to support.” That Fierce for Good supports initiatives with which employees feel personally connected, means the foundation is inherently connected to the company culture. The way Rob talks, there seems to be a sense among employees that, through Fierce for Good, they’re inheriting an engine, built by David, Dave, and Louise, which they have the opportunity to drive and steer. 

With Fierce for Good having just launched in March of this year, the initiative is still in its infancy and trying to ensure growth is sustainable, and that donations are going to charities with the most possible impact. "So, for example, we’ve just formed a partnership with Rewilding Britain,” says Rob. “They’re a charity that really gets out and puts boots on the ground to make change. They support rewilders across Britain’s land and seas and provide funding so that people who are out there actively making a difference in their local areas can restore nature and create wilder spaces. That felt like a really nice fit for us.” 

Throughout our conversation, Rob and I talk extensively about sustainability, not just in an environmental sense, but from the point of view of longevity. With the need for environmental and social change having never felt more pressing, it’s easy to burn out while trying to make an impact. Sustainability therefore, isn’t just about the effect of our efforts, but thinking practically and realistically about how we can budget our energy, so we can afford to keep fighting the good fight in the long run. At Fierce, that internal negotiation seems to be well underway, and a plan for the next ten years, and beyond, seems to be crystalising.