1. What environmental issues does the New Belgium Brewing Company work to address? How has NBB taken a strategic approach to addressing these issues? Why do you think the company has taken such a strong stance toward sustainability?
2. Do you agree that New Belgium’s focus on social responsibility provides a key competitive advantage for the company? Why or why not?
3. Some segments of society contend that companies that sell alcoholic beverages and tobacco products cannot be socially responsible organizations because of the nature of their primary products. Do you believe that New Belgium’s actions and initiatives are indicative of a socially responsible corporation? Why or why not?

Although most of the companies frequently cited as examples of ethical and socially responsible firms are large corporations, it is the social responsibility initiatives of small businesses that often have the greatest impact on local communities. These businesses create jobs and provide goods and services for customers in smaller markets that larger corporations are often not interested in serving. Moreover, they also contribute money, resources, and volunteer time to local causes. Their owners often serve as community leaders, and many choose to apply their skills and resources to tackling local problems and issues to benefit the whole community. Managers and employees become role models for ethical and socially responsible actions. One such small business is New Belgium Brewing Company, Inc., based in Fort Collins, Colorado.

The idea for the New Belgium Brewing Company (NBB) began with a bicycling trip through Belgium. Belgium is arguably the home of some of the world’s finest ales, some of which have been brewed for centuries in that country’s monasteries. As Jeff Lebesch, an American electrical engineer, cruised around that country on his mountain bike, he wondered whether he could produce such high-quality beers back home in Colorado. After acquiring the special strain of yeast used to brew Belgian-style ales, Lebesch returned home and began to experiment in his Colorado basement. When his beers earned thumbs up from friends, Lebesch decided to market them.

NBB opened for business in 1991 as a tiny basement operation in Lebesch’s home in Fort Collins. Lebesch’s wife at the time, Kim Jordan, became the firm’s marketing director. They named their first brew Fat Tire Amber Ale in honor of Lebesch’s bike ride through Belgium. Initially, getting New Belgium beer onto store shelves was not easy. Jordan often delivered the beer to stores in the back of her Toyota station wagon. However, New Belgium beers quickly developed a small but devoted customer base, first in Fort Collins and then throughout Colorado. The brewery soon outgrew the couple’s basement and moved into an old railroad depot before settling into its present custom-built facility in 1995. The brewery includes two brew houses, four quality assurance labs, a wastewater treatment facility, a canning and bottling line, and numerous technological innovations for which New Belgium has become nationally recognized as a “paradigm of environmental efficiencies.”

Under the leadership of Kim Jordan, who has since become CEO, NBB currently offers a variety of permanent and seasonal ales and pilsners. The company’s standard line includes Sunshine Wheat, Blue Paddle, 1554, Ranger IPA, Abby, Shift, Trippel, Rampant, Slow Ride IPA, Snapshot, and the original Fat Tire Amber Ale, still the firm’s bestseller. Some customers even refer to the company as the Fat Tire Brewery. The brewery’s seasonal ales include Skinny Dip, Portage Porter, and Accumulation. The firm also started a Lips of Faith program, where small batch brews like La Folie, Gruit, and Salted Belgian Chocolate Stout are created for internal celebrations or landmark events. Additionally, New Belgium is working in collaboration with other craft brewers to come up with new products. Through this, they hope to create improved efficiency and experimentation, along with taking collaborative strides toward the future of American craft beer making. One product resulting from these collaborations is a beer brewed with Anaheim and Marash Chilies in collaboration with Cigar City Brewing.