Sustainability Leader:  The Livery Brews a Better Way

In 2004, a group of progressively minded folks bought a century-old building at 190 Fifth St. in Benton Harbor’s Arts District. Though unoccupied and in disrepair, the buyers’ vision came to include starting a brewery that embraced sustainable practices. The vision became reality when The Livery opened in 2005.

“Anything you can do to minimize your impact on the environment is a really important thing to do,” says Simon Rusk, head brewmaster and current owner of The Livery. “That should be a part of a successful business plan, to think about your impact and plan accordingly.”

Open seven days a week, The Livery has 16 beers on tap, running the full gamut from light lagers to imperial stouts and specializing in sour, fruited brews. Its kitchen serves tasty lunch and dinner fare. On Friday and Saturday nights, live music entertains its patrons—local bands as well as regional and national touring acts.

Because all of its stakeholders were environmentally minded, The Livery has made sustainable practices as much a part of its business as the craft beers it brews. For starters, much of the brewery equipment is repurposed rather than newly purchased. Old tanks acquired over the years serve as fermentation vessels and brewing kettles. A robust recycling program reclaims everything from cardboard, paper and plastic to spent grains from the brewing process, which serve as an ingredient in The Livery’s pizza crust. Leftover spent grains feed cows at a local farm. Because the kitchen actively composts, it creates very little food waste.

“We also reuse and reclaim water from different activities we are doing in the brewery,” says Rusk, who purchased the business in 2015. “Patrons eat on real dishes with real silverware. We use reusable plastic cups for water and glass for beer. And, we utilize compostable to-go materials.”

Michigan’s Great Southwest Sustainable Business Forum has selected The Livery as winner of its 2018 Leadership Award for Small Organizations.

A Local Leader

To reduce fuel used by long distance shipping, The Livery buys locally as much as possible. Kitchen ingredients are sourced from local farmers. Hops for most of the beers The Livery brews grow nearby at Hophead Farms in Baroda.

“Michigan grows some very fine hops and some of them grow right here in Berrien County,” Rusk says. “We do buy hops from other regions but primarily from right here. This supports our local economy — it takes a lot of fuel to ship hops around the world.”

Rusk gives credit for The Livery’s green successes to its original stakeholders and current staff.

“I’m very fortunate to be working with so many people who have a high-level concern about these types of issues and make it happen,” he says. “It’s important to preserve the environment for the future generations. The resources we have are not endless. It’s the right thing to do, to be a good steward.”