As Australia’s first B-Corp Certified Whisky producer and one of a handful of Australian Gin companies, Cape Byron Distillery is leading the industry through example. By living our values, we ensure the business and farm will continually improve and evolve. Rainforest rehabilitation, regenerative farming, environmentally friendly packaging and cutting-edge waste management systems all reduce our impact on the planet, helping leave it in a better place for future generations.
Here at Cape Byron Distillery, we hold a coveted position with the B-Corporation (B Corp) global movement of organisations setting the benchmark for sustainable and ethical business practices.
The B Corp title measure companies through a vigorous
application process and certifies industry-leading environmental and community focused businesses who have exceptional practices across a multitude of areas. B Corp is one of the most demanding certifications that evaluates a brands' ethics, with a criteria of over 350 benchmarks concerning operations, employee treatment, community and environmental impact.
There are currently over 6000 Certified B Corporations in more than 80 countries and over 150 industries. Unlike traditional corporations, B Corps are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on all stakeholders including customers, workers, communities and the environment. More than 650 of these B Corps are based in Australia and New Zealand. Cape Byron Distillery is one of only two spirit distillers in Australia to achieve the distinction, which highlights our teams commitment to conducting the highest standard of production and corporate social responsibility.
Eddie Brook, Co Founder Cape Byron Distillery explains "We see business as a force for good. We go beyond industry norms, creating and implementing innovative solutions with the goal to make the Australian distilling industry a world leader in sustainable practice."
Our property was once part of the largest subtropical rainforest which over the last century, roughly 99% has been decimated by industrialised agriculture.
Our 95 acre property now has between 4,500 native macadamia trees and is a thriving ecosystem with over 40,000 subtropical rainforest trees that serve as essential habitat for more than 24 native bird species and countless native arboreal and terrestrial fauna, including the vulnerable native Australian Koala.
We have chosen long-term investments over quick wins, and measure our success based on the positive impact they create.
"Whilst we are ecstatic to achieve this level of certification which solidifies our sustainability journey to date, we have an exciting road ahead!" - Alex McManus, Cape Byron Distillery Sustainability Manager.
Sustainability Is In Our DNA
This B Corp Certification was earned by exceeding B Corp Standards not only
in reforestation efforts but across five categories of the B Impact Assessment:
Community, Customers, Environment, Workers, and Governance. Some of
the highlighting factors attributed to the success of the certification include an
on-farm closed-loop distillation process where whisky wash and botanicals
are mixed with mulch to create a nutrient-dense soil conditioner that is reused
on the Davidson Plum orchard, diverting waste from landfill by utilising Black
Soldier Flies to consume organic waste, and implementing various waste
diversion streams & energy monitoring systems.
Our Sustainability Manager, Alex has worked tirelessly with our production and logistics teams on ground, to reduce and reuse as much as possible. Alex believes, "We have organically established our baseline as sustainability is ingrained in our business culture and operations, however, we feel this is just scratching the surface for what we can achieve. We hope that the work we are doing can lay the foundations for other distilleries in their sustainability journey."
We cannot wait to elevate our sustainability and regeneration efforts with new technology, and believe this is the beginning of an amazing journey for our family-operated business here in Byron Bay.
For more information on B Corp, please visit bcorporation.net
For interviews and further comments regarding Cape Byron Distillery, please email info@capebyrondistillery.com
