Raising a Glass to Healthier Soil
How do we build the regenerative supply chain? By finding where our individual values and journeys intersect for a common interest, and taking action. By realizing that if there’s not yet a well-worn path to market for a certified regenerative crop or a product, it’s an opportunity hiding in plain sight to stand up, stand out, and be the leader others will follow. This is the “reset” mentality that enabled Harborview Farms, Riverbend Malt House, and Fullsteam Brewery to bring about the first-ever Certified Regenified beer.
From Fullsteam Brewery, it's called Reset: ESB (Extra Special Bitter).
It All Starts on the Farm
For Trey Hill of Harborview Farms in Rock Hall, MD, regenerative practices build life in his soil to make it more productive and more resilient to withstand harsh Mid-Atlantic weather cycles, while reducing his farming costs. Being Certified Regenified puts him in a position to pursue new market opportunities. And observing the biodiversity returning and thriving on his fourth generation farm reminds him that farming in harmony with nature isn’t just better for the land, it’s a better way of life.
Next stop: Riverbend Malt House
For Riverbend Malt House, in Asheville, NC, purchasing Trey Hill’s Certified Regenified 2-row Avalon fits within their mission to produce unique, high-quality malt sourced from local, family-owned farms practicing environmentally responsible farming methods. Marrying age-old traditions with modern techniques to produce exceptional craft malt has established their reputation for uncompromising product quality.
Stepping up to become the first certified regenerative malt house last year shows their vision and leadership to enable more CPG brands and consumers to discover regenerative beer and spirits. Their ability to manage, store, and process certified regenerative grains while maintaining full traceability opens the door for farmers like Trey Hill to supply growing demand for end products like their newly released Regenified™ Southern Select that serve both ecosystem health and human health
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"It’s just an all around win.”
For Fullsteam Brewery in Durham, NC, celebrating the farm and food traditions of the American South is their way of supporting their beloved community, not only through their amazing craft beers, but by imagining a new agricultural heritage in the post-tobacco South.
Riverbend represents a natural ally and key malt supplier that shares their values of supply chain transparency and keeping the region’s farms strong and healthy. They know their customers, craft beer lovers, definitely want to know where their beer comes from and how it’s made, because the story helps them enjoy the experience even more. And they are going to love Reset: ESB.
Jon Simpson, Director of Brewery Operations at Fullsteam describes it as “packed with wonderful caramel and toffee notes. The malt’s honey sweetness balances out the beer’s earthy hop bitterness. It’s rich, flavorful, and balanced—everything I wanted in this classic beer style. Add in the environmental and positive global impacts and it’s just an all around win.”
A Toast to Vision, Perseverance, and Leadership
Scaling a regenerative supply chain takes vision and perseverance. The accelerator is leadership: from the farmer who’s not afraid to be a little different from his neighbors; the processor who commits to enabling certified traceability; and the brand that values how upstream investments create downstream opportunities that flow back to the community. Let’s all learn from this success story, and raise a glass to healthier soil!
