Can beer help us be better people?
Starting a brewery might seem like a frivolous pursuit to many people. Sure it’s fun, perhaps even interesting, but what ‘good’ does it do in the world apart from tingling a few taste buds? A few too many beers can even potentially do some damage if you’re not careful.
But… we’ve recently learnt in our short time at Balter that having a business (especially one that can draw a community together over a few pints) can make a bigger difference than we originally thought. By hosting some charity events in the last three months we’ve already managed to help raise over $75K for charity. One night last week, where we partnered with Modom, Blanks Co, Monstr Screen Printing and No Cure Magazine to host an art show curated by Xavier Davies, another $6500 and counting being raised for Cystic Fibrosis Australia. That’s pretty crazy considering supporting charity isn’t something we meticulously planned in our original mission to ‘make insanely good beer’. We knew we wanted to help our communities somehow, but didn’t know what form it would take. The pleasant surprise of having some early wins in this area has sparked something that we’d love to share - A feeling that maybe those exciting, yet seemingly unimportant, passions we all have can help us be better people, if we’re willing to be a little open-minded and creative about how we can leverage them. It’s pretty cool knowing we can take even our everyday work and focus it towards something greater than ourselves.
So, we encourage anyone out there who wants to make a difference but hasn’t been sure how, to have a look at your passions or workplaces and figure out what’s different about them that might be able to spread some extra joy. You might be as surprised as us, and turn those pursuits into something just a touch more meaningful. For Balter it was realising we have a space and a drink that lends itself to getting people together, which is often the biggest challenge when trying to unite folks behind a cause. That has been the big thing we’ve been able to take advantage of. Everyone’s opportunity is different though. If you’re looking for inspiration, there are plenty of better examples out there than us of the positive difference people and businesses can make in the world – Toms, Patagonia, Thank You, Warby Parker and Who Gives A Crap to name a few. None of the people at these places have given up their entire lives to ‘do good’, but have been able to strike a great balance of living, enjoying and earning, while giving back at the same time. That’s maybe a lot more sustainable (and attainable) for most people.
And, if you just like having a sip and a chat with the great people in your community, that’s as good a reason as any to come to one of our next charity events down the track. Helping out a good cause is simply the frothy head on the brew. We hope to see you there.
IF YOU MISSED THE NIGHT AND WANTED TO BUY TEE A LIMITED NUMBER ARE IN OUR STORE
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*If you’re ever looking for a good charity to support, but aren’t sure where to start, we recommend GiveWell.com. They help rank the most effective charities in the world, who do the most good with the resources they have. It helps takes the angst out of what can be a tough decision. Check them out.
Photo's Courtesy of The Weekend Edition
