Exploring Toast Ale

What happens to all the leftover loaves of bread at bakeries, cafes, and restaurants every day around the world? The sad, but true, answer is nothing. For the most part, these leftover, but wholesome loaves are usually thrown out. After observing the massive food waste in the UK, Toast Ale decided to do something about it. Their mission is to reduce the amount of food waste.

“Profits from the sale of Toast Ale will go to Feedback, an environmental organization that campaigns to end food waste at every level of the food system.”

All of their ales are made with surplus bread that would otherwise be wasted. By donating profits to Feedback, Toast hopes they will ultimately eliminate bread waste and be put out of business.

Their site is packed with heartbreaking numbers on the amount of bread waste. Did you know “the amount of bakery goods thrown away is enough to lift 26 million people out of malnutrition” or “44% of all bread produced in the UK is thrown away.” They are conscious about the possibility of patrons being skeptical of their ‘re-used’ products. In order to combat this they are very transparent in their process and use carefully selected words to describe their product, such as ‘surplus bread’ and ‘croutons’. They describe and illustrate their production process from supply to shelf in numerous areas of their website. They also divulge their full recipe.

Their product and their website have a playful, yet elegant simplicity to them which intrigues the user to continue exploring. The elegant design allows the product to stand out amongst other beer on the shelves, and creates trust for consumers who may be weary of the process.

They encourage others to start using leftover products, and they actively share their beer recipe for consumers to try on their own. Their blog includes articles posted by Toast teammates and guests about the inventive ways they are re-using typically wasted products.

Check out their product here