THE EVOLUTION OF BREWED TO GIVE

It was 2019, and Bristol Beer Factory's MD, Sam Burrows, was stood in the paddock at St Werburghs City Farm, watching the team count up the day's takings after their annual Farm Fair. It had been a brilliant event – sun, sounds, street food, and local people buying pint after pint. The Farm took in excess of £25k on the bars alone – a huge feat for a volunteer team – and so important for a charity that needs to raise in excess of £750k year on year. BBF had supplied the beer, at a heavily discount deal, brought the bar and Sam volunteered his time. 

It was at this point that he did the maths and thought, “What if we had just given them the beer rather than charging them cost price?”  

If a few thousand pounds' worth of stock could have made that much difference to one charity, what could a more deliberate approach achieve across a whole city?

THE LIGHTBULB MOMENT

That was the lightbulb moment – that was the spark of what would eventually become Brewed to Give.

Like most good ideas born in 2019, this one ran straight into COVID. Survival and took over for a couple of years, while BBF, like every other hospitality business, focused on staying afloat. But the thinking never really went away. 

Looking back now, Sam can point to countless events BBF quietly supported in those pre-Brewed to Give years - local PTAs events, charity raffles, community fundraisers across Bristol. Responding to word-of-mouth requests, donating beer freely or at cost, and receiving a lovely thank-you email.

Sam continued, "The problem was we didn’t really know what impact our support was having, and we knew that without formalising our offer, we would never reach wide and diverse communities”. 

SO WHY NOT JUST WRITE A CHEQUE?

Loads of other businesses write the big cheque and hand it over with a nice photo opportunity. BBF has pledged £130k this year alone, so why not write five cheques for £26k each and walk away?

Sam strolls into this answer, "Community is so important to this city. The charities and community groups around us are the backbone of Bristol and they need, no they deserve, a more constructive, more reliable resource than the possibility of a cheque once every few years. If you are going to donate cash, invest it back into your community. Get to know who you're helping, and how. That's something you can actually be proud of, and share with your team, your customers, anyone who'll listen in all honesty. This is real, you're engaged, you're on that next level”.

A BETTER WAY OF DOING CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Around 2022, once the COVID fog had lifted, Sam found himself reading back through an old five-year business plan and rediscovered board notes proposing a dedicated community events role. Around the same time, BBF was exploring the early stages of B Corp accreditation, where community contribution carries real weight in the scoring.

That's when Patagonia's "1% for the Planet" model came up in conversation. Sam did a rough calculation of everything BBF was already giving to the city – including sponsorships, donated stock, casual support - and found they were already giving away the equivalent of 1.25% of revenue.

"Well, we are not going to start doing less when our communities need more. Two percent it is. That’s a better number", says Sam. 

And so Brewed to Give was born: 2% of every BBF sale, reinvested into Bristol's charities and community groups as cash, space and beer with the aim to maximise the impact of their donation wherever possible. 

"By donating beer for fundraising events, as well as loaning equipment like gazebos, cool boxes, pop-up bars, card readers etc, we prevent charities losing money to running costs. That way, everything a charity raises at their own event, stays with them. It's a better way of doing corporate social responsibility."

ON TRACK TO RAISE £1 MILLION

Four years on, Brewed to Give is on track to raise £1 million for Bristol causes. Did Sam expect it to grow this quickly?

"I always knew it was special, because it was so simple. We are taking something worth around £1 to us and turning it into £4 or £5 for our community. Did I expect it to get there quite as quickly? Yeah, I suppose I did. Because we were on a trajectory of growth, and we knew Brewed to Give had the capacity to turn our currency into city-wide impact”. 

The idea has evolved a long way from where it started, too. In its earliest form, Sam pictured Brewed to Give as an entire fundraising platform any charity could log on to, to source everything from beer to coffee to cakes from local independent suppliers. That particular vision didn't happen exactly as planned (spoiler: something even better has arisen in its place), but the end result is the same, “Brewed to Give has raised an incredible amount for our city”. 

Brewed to Give became inseparable from Bristol Beer Factory itself. As Sam says, "It's just become part of our DNA. Part of every decision we make as a business."

INSPIRING OTHER BUSINESSES TO GIVE BACK

Here is the thing about Brewed to Give, though: as proud as BBF is of it, Sam has never seen it as the finish line.

"We're just a small cog in a big city. One in four Bristolians uses the charity sector. This city has half a million people in it - that number is mental. We know that BBF can’t address the challenges they face alone. Our city needs more."

BBF appreciate there are so many incredible and caring businesses across the city doing whatever they can for community. There are many others that could do more, and those who could have greater impact if they gave locally. So, Team BBF set themselves the task of exploring how they could use their success to inspire 1,000s more, because as Sam says, “We are greater collectively than the sum of our parts”.  

Come November 2025, when Bruce and Kate from Left Handed Giant asked to join forces on Brewed to Give, the conversation quickly became something bigger.

"LHG walked in expecting one thing, and walked out with a completely different idea," Sam smiles. BBF told them about Brewed to Give, its impact and its success, and then they told them about the stats they had gleaned from charity partners about the fragile state of the sector. But if every business did their part, it wouldn’t be like this.

Charities at breaking point

Across our city, charities are cutting services. Some are closing entirely. Those still open are running on fumes. We know that classic Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives don’t address the challenges. 40 charities revealed the facts.

97% of local charities report their operational costs are rising faster than their income.

95% agree that the demand for their services has significantly increased.

73% are likely to use unrestricted reserves to stay afloat over the next 2 years.

60% are at risk of reducing or suspending services due to financial pressures.

IMAGINE WHAT BRISTOL WOULD LOOK LIKE IF EVERY BUSINESS GAVE 1%

That was the question where WE BACK BRISTOL came from.

WE BACK BRISTOL is a collective of independent businesses backing local charities and community groups with cash, assets and time. Through a simple 1% commitment, individual success becomes shared momentum. Every pledge creates impact. Together, businesses become a collective force for change for our city. The initiative launched in Sept 2026 with 9 Founding businesses pledging to invest £200k (half of which is cash) to charities making a difference across the city.

As Sam says, “Imagine if we had 200 businesses signed up to this! The impact that could have on our city is phenomenal. We're talking £1 million + annually. Let's really rip up social responsibility. Let's get people making pledges and investing in their city. Don't just write a cheque. Invest in your community. Get involved.”

NO, BBF ISNT DROPPING TO 1% 

One thing Sam is keen to make clear: We Back Bristol asks businesses to pledge at least 1% of revenue. Brewed to Give gives 2%. So, is BBF quietly scaling back?

"Not a chance in hell," he says, without missing a beat. "That 2% is a badge of honour for us. BBF will continue to support communities with 2% of last year’s revenue. That’s our pledge. Full stop. The only difference now is that we are channelling half of that pledge through We Back Bristol because Quartet Foundation know the charity sector inside out and can make sure it reaches wherever the need is greatest."

WHAT’S THE FUTURE DREAM?

Ask Sam what success looks like in five years, and the answer isn't modest.

"We Back Manchester. We Back Birmingham. We Back Cornwall. Anywhere in the country. If we get this framework right, any business can join a 'We Back' collective without having to build all the infrastructure themselves because community foundations, like Quartet, manage the due diligence and the impact reporting. We want it to be as simple as possible. We want to take away every roadblock in front of people who want to do good."

It's a big ambition but Sam's clear-eyed about the timescale. "The issues we have in this country won't be fixed in four or five years. This will be a multi-generational effort. The charity sector needs help, and it's going to need help for a long time."

TO ANY BUSINESS ON THE FENCE

For any business owner weighing up whether to pledge, Sam's answer is simple:

"Get on the website (click the FIND OUT MORE button) and come and talk to me. I'll run you through exactly what it does for your company, your people, your customers, your perception. You will undoubtedly be a better business because of it. And you can make a real impact."

AND TO EVERYONE WHO HAS EVERY ORDERED A BBF PINT…

"Thank you. Every beer you buy gives back. Every can of Clear Head saves a life.”

World-class beer brewed with purpose. Sounds like it’s time to get a round in, doesn’t it!

Keen to know more about a 1% pledge? Head to www.webackbristol.org or get in touch with team BBF. We'd love to talk you through it.