Kaibosh general manager Ben Wakefield (left) and George Duncan, from Duncan's Brewing, with some collaboration beers.
Kaibosh general manager Ben Wakefield (left) and George Duncan, from Duncan's Brewing, with some collaboration beers.
A boutique beer company has partnered with two social and environmental change innovators to create a very unique brew - and a cool cap too.
By using 500 kilograms of second-sort bananas, an imperial pastry stout called Upcycle has been crafted, and it is a new, decadently smooth banana and caramel beer.
Duncan’s Brewing, in Paraparaumu, is owned and operated by George Duncan and Wai Familton, and is known for its product innovation and unique flavours.
The background to the new brew started when the couple took a keen interest in Offcut, a company that takes textile remnants destined for landfill, upcycling them into limited-run hats.
“Our initial collaboration was with Offcut and was about 12 months in the making,” Duncan said.
“The hats they create are statement pieces, both visually and environmentally, and we wanted to collaborate with them as they aligned with our own business philosophies.
“A casual first chat on socials about a brand and merchandise collaboration left us thinking about how Duncan’s can add impact.
“How can we be inspired by Offcut’s model and apply that to making beer?”
That’s when Kaibosh Food Rescue, a company which redirects quality surplus food to those in need and supplies second-sort produce to be used commercially, entered the picture.
“Kaibosh is in our brewery’s neighbourhood, and we have always admired the work they do with repurposing food and creating social change.
George Duncan with a can of Upcycle and an Offcut cap.
“We felt they could play an important role in sourcing ingredients, and we wandered down the laneway to chat about second-sort fruit that could be supplied and would work for beer.
“The whole journey working with Kaibosh was seamless and their team assisted with resources, collecting second-sort bananas and then providing them peel-free and in the form we needed for processing in the brewery.
“The banana peels went to a local community garden, so we feel everything has gone full circle.”
Released in conjunction with the beer is the matching Duncan’s-Offcut collaboration cap; the inspiration for the beer label artwork also came from the cap, created from a punchy and bright upcycled textile.
Five per cent of the Upcycle beer sales will be donated to Kaibosh to support their mahi.
“Every $20 raised through sales of the new beer from Duncan’s will enable Kaibosh to provide 40 meals worth of good, rescued food to people who need it in our communities,” delighted Kaibosh chief executive Susie Robertson said.
Consumers will get a first taste of the beer and cap collaboration at Wellington’s Beervana, and both will be available to purchase online from Duncan’s and Offcut on August 18.
“We get to push the boundaries of what is commonly accepted as beer and take our fans on flavour journeys,” Duncan said.
