Bell’s Brewery plans to donate $480,000 to non-profits in 2022, including $100,000 to clean water stewardship via a newly launched grant program called Inspired Giving, the Michigan-based craft brewery announced earlier this week.
Through the Inspired Giving charitable endeavor, which plays off Bell’s “Inspired Brewing” tagline, Bell’s will donate $1 for each barrel of beer sold. For this year, the company has opened a grant application process for non-profits and organizations within its 43-state footprint focused on clean water stewardship and habitat conservation. Bell’s will give out $100,000 in grants starting in November, with amounts ranging from $500 to $5,000.
In addition to the $100,000 given to clean water stewardship, Bell’s will give $380,000 to its legacy partners and directed giving programs, Bell’s EVP Carrie Yunker told Brewbound.
Following the sale of the company to New Belgium parent company Lion Little World Beverages and the retirement of founder Larry Bell, Bell’s needed something baked into its annual business plan that would signal its commitment to its communities and beer drinkers that its giving programs were “not only changing but growing and improving,” she added.
“It’s a bit of signaling like this has been a part of our DNA, but how does it outlive my generation of leadership, the next generation of Bell’s growth, so how do we embed that permanently?” Yunker said.
The application process is open through October 15, and awardees will be selected by a committee of Bell’s employees from the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) team and its Coworker Grants Committee, which Yunker said will get “more voices in the room for what do we line up behind, particularly socially and environmentally,” Yunker said.
The qualities of potential grantees Bell’s is looking for include:
- “Projects that strengthen and protect ecosystem health and biodiversity.
- Projects that improve the use of water resources for the protection and benefit of public health and frontline communities.
- Projects that promote resiliency and adaptation in the face of climate-related water risks.”
“As a Michigan-based company bordered by the largest fresh water resource on the planet, the Great Lakes, we recognize the responsibility we have to protect our lakes and rivers and their critical importance to our business, and our community,” Walker Modic, director of environmental programs at Bell’s, said in a release. “It’s crucial that we take steps now to ensure equitable access to clean, safe, high quality water resources for all, for centuries to come.”
Bell’s stressed that organizations that discriminate will not be considered. Yunker said it was important to be clear about the project’s intentions, which the company spelled out in the following statement:
“Bell’s Brewery does not support organizations which in their constitution or practice, discriminate against a person or group on the basis of race, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy and sexual orientation), gender identity or expression (including gender nonconformity and status as a transgender individual), age, physical or mental disability, citizenship, genetic information, past, current or prospective service in the uniformed services, marital status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. Bell’s Brewery does not knowingly support organizations that discriminate in their hiring, those they accept as volunteers, or the clients they serve.”
Meanwhile, Bell’s is still in the process of integrating operations with New Belgium following the sale of the company last November.
“We’re really pleased with how that’s coming together,” Yunker said. “Our teams are in place. We’re working through distributor transitions, a lot of noise in the data because of that, [which] makes the data component of the plan challenging. If I’m being honest, beer in general is down significantly in Michigan, so being the largest player, that certainly impacts us.”
Dollar sales of Bell’s flagship Two Hearted Ale have declined -8%, to more than $28.6 million, year-to-date through July 10, in multi-outlet and convenience stores tracked by IRI. However, the brand’s dollar share of craft beer sales was down just 0.01%, to 1.14%, and it was the 12th largest craft beer brand in those stores. Yunker noted that Two Hearted sales are “trending up” in the Great Lakes region, especially in Michigan.
“We see the momentum shift happening for our brands, and we’re excited about that,” she said. Year-to-date through August 10, off-premise dollar sales of craft beer have declined -6.3% in multi-outlet food and convenience stores tracked by NielsenIQ. Craft has lost 0.8% dollar share of beer this year, down to 11.7%. “We aren’t immune to the world that craft beer is in and certainly hope to see the whole ship turn itself around.”
Two Hearted has a lot of run room in convenience stores and territory expansion, Yunker said. Bell’s beer is now sold in 43 states, and the company is focused on completing its national distribution map, she added.
“The Two Hearted brand family will have some innovation,” Yunker said. “We need to drive the awareness and trial for Two Hearted. Once you have it, the rebuy, the velocity is world class. Better than almost every other IPA out there.”
Yunker added that Oberon is still the No. 1 wheat beer in Michigan, and the company has worked this year to ensure that the brand is on shelves in all markets for six months.
“We’re trying to be more intentional with how we build that SKU, and that brand family,” she added.
Bell’s has moved the Hopslam double IPA seasonal release to Q4 this year. Typically a Q1 seasonal, Hopslam will begin hitting retailers in October, which Yunker said they view as a “more appropriate space for consumers when indulgence is high around the holidays,” as opposed to releasing a 10% ABV beer during Dry January.
Bell’s added a year-round variety pack SKU, wth an IPA pack out now, which the company is focused on building, Yunker said. The brewery was previously capacity constrained with those packs, forcing them to be limited-time offerings. The company has installed a second canning line and added packing capability. Yunker said Bell’s is excited about the ability to drive trial through those packages.