While the Upper Midwestern US might not be the first region that comes to mind for
sustainable distilling, the work Tattersall
Distilling is doing should put it near
the top of the list.
The seven-year-old distillery, founded by best friends Jon Kreidler and
Dan Oskey, puts local first and is setting a real example for how smaller
distilleries can still make an impact without the big budgets of the
multinational liquor conglomerates.
“There’s no question that the big guys have teams working on this; but as you
get into measuring and quantifying sustainability, there’s certain low-hanging
fruit,” Kreidler told Sustainable Brands™.
Oskey and Kreidler, who has the title of “Chief Officer,” have built a
philosophy not just around sourcing grains, fruit and materials from a range of local
suppliers — but repurposing as many byproducts of the distilling process as
possible, in what’s likely one of the most scalable examples of circularity so
far in the spirits business.
Farm to glass, and back again
Tattersall operates two locations: a healthy bar & distillery in central
Minneapolis; and a brand new, 75,000 sq. ft. flagship facility in River
Falls, WI, about 45 minutes east of the Twin Cities. The River Falls
facility — which boasts the largest rooftop solar
array
of any craft distiller in the US — offers the opportunity for the company to
scale up production (which currently sits around 300K-500K bottles, according to
Kreidler) and continue leveraging the company’s deep connections with grain
providers in both states.
When it comes to liquor production, grain and malts are the second most
important raw materials, beyond water; and in many cases, that grain simply goes
to compost or trash once it’s used. Tattersall was an early trialist of
upcycling technology in partnership with
NETZRO —
one of a growing number of companies that repurpose spent grain for human
consumption.
Before that, the distillery was sending used grain as feed for livestock (a
common practice due to its nutritional value); but getting it to a
human-consumable point was quite a feat. However, Kreidler acknowledged the
ongoing ups and downs of the journey — noting that they ended the pilot (and
continue supplying farms), as NETZRO’s technology needed quite a bit of labor
and power to make it viable.
“Running it through new equipment and shipping it off to a farm to use as animal
feed is a much more efficient and sustainable model for us,” Kreidler says,
noting Tattersall goes through 10,000 lbs of grain weekly (and will likely
double that soon). That feed goes to locally raised bison and cattle, which will
eventually end up on the distillery’s menu.
Among other efforts, the distillery is drying used citrus peels for use as drink
garnishes and using fruit “seconds” to make select spirits, such as its apple
brandy.
Navigating urban and rural logistics
Image credit: Tattersall Distilling
Kreidler described unique problems for a distillery with facilities operating
only 45 minutes apart, but in very different municipal environments. Composting,
in particular, is a big effort the distillery is still solving: The City of
Minneapolis has been very supportive of businesses looking to convert and adopt
composting programs; but in rural western Wisconsin, the infrastructure just
isn’t there.
He explains that Minnesota has a higher tax on trash collection; so, it ends up
being financially advantageous to compost when possible. Wisconsin doesn’t have
that same tax; so, composting remains financially prohibitive.
“There aren’t enough people who want to compost (in western Wisconsin); so,
we’ve been talking to a local university and high school — but there’s not
enough interest to send trucks out there. It’s quite expensive,” he says. “It’s
not a thing yet; but we’ll find a solution.”
On the flip side, liquor laws are more favorable in Wisconsin than Minnesota;
and Kreidler says they can get quicker answers from municipal offices in rural
Wisconsin than in a big city like Minneapolis.
Dealing with the industry’s biggest emitter
Kreidler agrees with other distillers that have
noted
that for producers at their size, certain regulations and guidelines pertaining
to sustainability remain largely under their own guidance. One of the most
glaring issues is how to deal with the sourcing and production of glass.
“It’s next to impossible to figure out and the supply chain is a mess,” he says.
Most glass suppliers in the US can’t support small-run quantities in the amounts
that distilleries such as Tattersall can use; so, they’re forced to look to
Asia and Europe to fulfill that need. The transportation and processing
output is a big contributor to Scope 3
emissions.
“We just can’t get the US manufacturers to do small-enough runs,” Kreidler says.
“If you’re doing anything less than a million or half a million bottles, they
don’t have time for you. Trying to buy smarter as a smaller producer is just
tough.”
All the while, Tattersall is doing what it can to help mitigate impact and
promote better practices while navigating the challenges and opportunities that
come with a growing business.
“We try to be transparent in just about everything we do,” Kreidler says, “to
find things that make sense and build a more sustainable business.”
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Geoff is a freelance journalist and copywriter focused on making the world a better place through compelling copy. He covers everything from apparel to travel while helping brands worldwide craft their messaging. In addition to Sustainable Brands, he's currently a contributor at Penta, AskMen.com, Field Mag and many others. You can check out more of his work at geoffnudelman.com.
Published May 17, 2022 8am EDT / 5am PDT / 1pm BST / 2pm CEST