Yorkshire’s Ellers Farm Distillery has been awarded B Corp Certification for its work to establish itself as part of an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy.
The B Corp verification process, administered by the nonprofit B Lab, measures a company’s social and environmental performance, and to become a Certified B Corporation, Ellers Farm Distillery has undergone a rigorous review of the impact of its operations and business model on its workers, customers, communities and environment.
Based outside Stamford Bridge in North Yorkshire, Ellers Farm Distillery has been carbon neutral since day one and produces a range of spirits.
It has implemented a number of actions, with the intention of increasing its positive impact on the environment, employees and local community:
It has:
- created a unique profit sharemodel by which 20% of the company’s profits will be distributed to employees. This avoids the complications of employee shareholder models while ensuring a portion of the wealth created by the business is distributed to those who work for the business.
- supported the planting of 5,000 trees in conjunction with Ecologi.
- planted 2.5 acres of apple trees in the adjacent fields. These trees not only remove carbon from the atmosphere as they grow, but create a biodiverse habitat that benefits local pollinators, birds, and mammals.
Tabatha Hurst, Head of Sustainability at Ellers Farm Distillery, said: “This has always been a goal for Ellers Farm Distillery and we’re thrilled that just two years into our journey we’re now a Certified B Corp. Becoming a fully-fledged part of the global community of B Corps is an honour and we see this as a statement of intent for our business to continually improve our impacts on our employees, community, environment and supply chain.”
Chris Fraser, Founder & Chairman at Ellers Farm Distillery, added: “I’m so proud of the team here at Ellers Farm Distillery for this great achievement in becoming a Certified B Corp so early in our journey as a business. Since the beginning our whole team has been focused on balancing people, planet and profit. Becoming a Certified B Corp is a great endorsement of the work we have already done but it also helps us identify areas that we can focus on to continue to improve.”