Reefton first NZ whisky distillery to achieve B Corp

Reefton Distilling Co. has become the first New Zealand whisky distillery to achieve B Corp Certification. 

Founder Patsy Bass said it is a proud moment for the team and the distillery, which she established in 2017 with the goal of setting up a sustainable business to help revitalise her hometown of Reefton and to create jobs for local people.

“We established the business for social good, to create sustainable employment on the West Coast and well-paying careers. To now be a B Corp business is tangible acknowledgement of that early vision and a benchmark we will continue to build from.”

Reefton Distilling Co. began its journey with the B Corp movement over 18 months ago. B Corp Certification measures a company’s entire social and environmental impact and is a designation that a business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials.

Reefton Distilling Co. operates a bio-diesel boiler and has made significant investment in a closed loop cooling system to re-use water. Any minimal waste water created is used to irrigate the company’s own and neighbouring farmland, and the spent grain from whisky production is used to feed the local farmers’ cows.

Patsy Bass says joining the B Corp movement was a logical step: “We were attracted by the spirit of continuous improvement at the heart of the B Corp movement.” She says they took inspiration from other New Zealand B Corps such as Chia Sisters, Ethique, Kowtow Clothing and Sharesies.

Having now joined the community of over 8,000 B Corps worldwide, Patsy Bass says that Reefton Distilling Co. is committed to becoming carbon zero and continuing its journey to become ‘planet positive’.