Innovation

The innovation that Barfly has created is their sustainable business model. It is not just one innovation. It is the fact that only 10% of their waste is sent to landfills, and the other 90% is composted and made into new soil, or recycled into something else. Another indicator of their sustainable model is all of their supplies including straws, napkins, and to-go containers are all made from renewable products. They also try to conserve water by not serving water to every table- but waiting for the drink orders to be placed- avoid thawing frozen foods in water, and no longer burning ice at the end of the night.

Barfly also partners with people in their local communities to help make change. An example is that they have teamed up with their Grand Rapids Brewing company to brew a special beer called FLOW. A portion of the profits made for each beer sold went to www.forloveofwater.org to help conserve and protect Michigan’s Great Lakes. In particular this organization is trying to shut down oil pipelines lying at the bottom of the Straits of Mackinaw; a project Barfly Ventures is passionate about. An oil spill would be disastrous the the Great Lakes ecosystem, home to 20% of the planet's fresh water supply. As a company whose products largely contain water, Barfly is committed to protecting water resources.

Inspiration

Barfly’s jump into the sustainable and green world started with a company that was open to change and an employee who was willing to do the research. Autumn started out in the company as a bartender at the Grand Rapids Brewing Company. She extended her job into "a form of internship with the company." She said," Before work, after work, and in my free time I was doing research." One of the things she did was reaching out to the Barfly’s vendors to see what sustainable changes could be made to their existing business.

The reason she became passionate about making changes in the company was that as she was working she noticed how much of their products were just being thrown away in the garbage. She started paying more attention and noticed that over the course of one night they went through thousands of plastic straws and cups. Together, Autumn and the owner of Barfly, started changing the direction of the business into a more sustainable one. The first change that they made was by using compostable corn based straws. After that was a success, Autumn researched more products in that same line, and she realized that if they switched to the compostable products they could actually save money. She took the proposed changes to the owner of the company, and they transitioned from their non-compostable products to all compostable products.

As Barfly expanded, Autumn's internship activities evolved into a permanent position and she gained the title of Sustainability Manager. Since Barfly has expanded into six states, a second person has been added to the team to help with the workload. Carrie started as a host at the Grand Rapids Brewing Company around the same time as Autumn, and she has seen the company grow their initiatives to incorporate sustainable practices within their company. It started out as adapting their current businesses to their new sustainable practices, but as they continue to open new restaurants they start from the beginning with a green model.

Overall impact

Barfly is helping change the way that their bars and restaurants affect their surrounding environments. They are switching their kitchens to LED lighting and teaming up to find ways to conserve energy overall in their companies.

They take pride in supporting and building up their surrounding communities by supporting local non-profits. One of the ways they do this is by having the Feel Good Tap (FGT). This is where every month a local or regional non-profit is chosen and a beer is also chosen. For every pint sold, $1 is donated to that non-profit. Last year they raised $26,457 for Michigan organizations alone, through the FGT. Additionally, they are building "green teams" at every store. The teams are comprised of employees that are educated in Barfly’s sustainable practices and can be the home team to answer and solve day-to-day problems. They are passionate about conserving and protecting local clean water.

Barfly diverts over 90 percent of their waste from landfills through recycling. In 2016 they diverted 17,670 cubic yards of waste, which is equal to "5-1/3 Olympic Swimming pools of trash"! Lastly, they want to make soil and not trash. By composting their trash they can repurpose it into new soil and donate it to local companies that need it. Barfly’s goal is to make sure that they are protecting the resources they are using by being conscious of what materials they are leaving behind.

Business benefit

By implementing more green practices into Barfly’s business model they have encountered some costs, but they have noticed some great benefits as well. The first benefit is that by switching to compostable products in their facilities, Barfly has actually saved money. The cost of the these products ended up costing the company less than their old products. Another benefit that Barfly has encountered while implementing the new sustainable practices was that by conserving water they also are conserving energy. Using less water saves them money, and the resulting reduction of energy is reducing costs. Savings have also occurred by the decision to switch to LED lights whenever possible.

Social and environmental benefit

A stretch goal for Barfly, which they reached, was to redirect over 90% of their waste from landfills. They actually diverted 17,670 cubic yards in 2016, and they composted 3,870 cubic yards. After the waste is turned into compost it is donated to local companies that can benefit from the soil. They have also recycled 13,800 cubic yards of other materials, including metal, paper, and plastic that would have otherwise been sent to the landfill.

Barfly considers water to be the world’s most precious resource. The Great Lakes contain 20% of the world’s fresh water supply, and Barfly works to raise awareness of that. They created a beer called FLOW and they donated the proceeds to an organization to working to shut down an oil pipeline under the Straits of Mackinaw, the passage between Lakes Michigan and Huron. Lastly, Barfly has donated over $60,000 to over 170 non profit organizations and local charities. Barfly feels it is important to have a good connection and impact on the environment, businesses, and the local life surrounding their companies.

Interview

Autumn Sands, Sustainability Manager