We hung out at Cafe Extrablatt in Greenpoint on Wednesday night for the launch of a new beer for South Africa. We say new for South Africa as it is a brand import from the UK. We say brand import as Devil’s Peak is brewing the beer locally under the established brand. There’s a great story behind it, so please, read on.
The beer is Toast Ale and it’s very good (might have something to do with being brewed by Devil’s Peak), but there is a bit more to it than that. It’s not “just another beer” for South Africa. This one has a social cause behind it. Alongside Devil’s Peak, Toast Ale have partnered up with Knead Bakery who provide them with fresh bread cuttings (crusts and all the good stuff that never actually gets to your plate). These crusts would otherwise get thrown out and end up in landfills – something that happens with a staggering 32% of food produced in the country.
Devils’ Peak take these crusts and brew the Toast Ale which, for each bottle, reduces the amount of waste by a single slice of bread. This may not seem like much but over time that can really start to add up.
They’re not quite done there. They are hoping they can get production going and sell a whole lot of this beer with all profits going to Soil For Life, a non-profit organisation based in Cape Town. The organization help people learn to grow healthy, organic food using simple, low-cost, environmentally-friendly methods. Now that’s something we would gladly raise a toast to.
To get themselves started they need to raise money, a whole lot of money. They have a page up on Thundafund with various reward levels. You can find it here, otherwise watch their funding video below if you need some extra convincing.
If you get an opportunity to buy some Toast Ale, do it, and know that you have done your small bit to help reduce food wastage and have actively contributed to another sustainable farmer. And you got some beer for your efforts. Magic!
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