Brewing beer can use a lot of resources and can be hard on the environment, but at The Fermentist, they are determined to find a better way.

Sustainability is the new buzzword for everything from drinking straws to air travel but few take it as seriously as Christchurch micro-brewery The Fermentist. Not only do they chase down and replace any product or process that doesn’t meet their high standards for sustainability, they see this commitment as a way to help other brewers and hospo houses up their game.

If that all sounds a bit too serious for a fun night out, fear not – sustainability doesn’t mean austerity, and the delicious plant-based menu is well matched to the bodacious beverages on offer. The chefs do an amazing job at creating flavoursome food, such as delicious tofu bites that taste like popcorn chicken!

Sustainability is a big challenge for a brewery – you can go through a lot of energy and resources making beer. The Fermentist is more than happy to be the test bed for innovation and new ideas that can make a real difference in the industry.

Here’s just some of the things The Fermentist is doing at its Sydenham brewery and taproom to achieve its goal of sustainability:

• A living wall and raised garden beds provide the chefs with fresh herbs and vegetables.
• Rainwater is collected in storage tanks for watering the gardens.
• No trees died for the Smartass tree-free toilet paper used onsite. Instead, the paper is made from bamboo fibres and sugarcane. Sweet!
• It uses solar panels to heat the water.
• It teams with suppliers that let it refill containers, reuse cardboard and limit plastic use – in other words, that believe in the same goals.
• It limits food waste by not serving up huge portions that few can cope with, and it takes a “root to petal” approach to its ingredients, trying hard to use everything.

The two biggies for sustainability are The Fermentist’s seasonal, plant-based menu, and its commitment to sourcing everything from local suppliers, a stance that supports those working on local solutions and also reduces food miles and therefore fossil fuel consumption.

A good example of this is the mozzarella The Fermentist uses on its pizzas. This used to come from Italy but now, in a switch that means a much lower carbon footprint, it comes from a Canterbury company.

A seasonal menu that favours what is available from local suppliers over snow peas imported from Africa or eggplants from Europe or North America also helps support local growers and lessens The Fermentist’s carbon footprint.

Hospitality manager Jo Hempseed says the idea behind the menu containing limited meat and seafood products in favour of plant-based options is to over time influence supply and demand in favour of products that are less harmful for the environment. “We support regenerative agriculture and we want to support the people that support what we believe in,” Jo says.

Keeping it local is also the best way to create a menu that celebrates what a region has to offer. Building relationships with farmers and suppliers allows The Fermentist to maintain the high quality of the ingredients that go into its delicious fare.

Jo is a key driver of The Fermentist’s sustainability charge. After 24 years in hospo on both sides of the Tasman, including time as a culinary judge, she brings a vast knowledge and passion for sustainability to the role.

“We want to set an example of how you can run a business sustainably,” Jo says. “We still have some big hurdles to jump, but when there are more restaurants and cafés doing this, then maybe things will change.”