Bavaria - The "Green" Brewery

World Brews has partnered with Bavaria, one of Europe's most energy efficient breweries, to be the exclusive US importer of its award-winning portfolio of beers that includes Bavaria, Bavaria Light, and Hollandia. This is great news for the ever-growing number of consumers who are constantly seeking products that have the smallest impact on the environment. The energy the Bavaria brewery uses to produce one case of beer is among the lowest worldwide. And Bavaria employs a series of sustainable practices that are as impressive as they are effective.

Bavaria is an independent family-owned company that has been continuously owned and operated by the Swinkels family, which is now in their seventh generation of brewing. The family strongly believes in preserving natural resources for future generations and acts accordingly. Far from just jumping on the current "green" bandwagon, Bavaria has been concerned with the environment for decades. In the 1980s, Bavaria began making significant capital investments to reduce its impact on the environment. In 1995, former CEO, Peter Swinkels, began actively promoting "green" sustainability at Bavaria. In 2003, Bavaria won an award for the best new environmental report.

A Selection of Bavaria's Sustainable Practices:

Waste Water: In 1985, Bavaria invested in a waste water treatment plant and a combined heat power unit to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Bavaria was the first brewery in the Netherlands with these kinds of facilities. With the purification system, all spring water that is left over from the brewing process is purified and then released into the neighboring canals. The purified water is cleaner than the surrounding streams and therefore increases the purity level of Lieshout's waterways. In this way, Bavaria plays an active role in improving the quality of local water resources.

Energy: Every year about 1 million cubic meters (m3) of methane gas are generated as a natural by-product of the waste water purification process. This gas is captured and used to produce steam and electricity and to fuel the combined heat power unit. The captured methane provides 10% of the brewery's energy needs. The unit also stores excess energy that is later used for malting, brewing and packaging. In 2006, Bavaria implemented a new step in the brewing process that uses a vacuum to save up to 700,000 m3 of natural gas.

CO2: The carbon dioxide (CO2) that is released during the beer fermentation process is captured and reused in the bottling and packaging department, rather than released into the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas. It is also sold on the open market.

Recycling: The brewery limits their solid waste by recycling. Overall, Bavaria recycles 99% of all solid waste. Even the organic by-products, barley, wheat, and hops are sold to farmers for animal feed.

Certified Management System: Bavaria uses the ISO 14001 system to manage its environmental impact and track its progress against stated goals. With this system, Bavaria can identify and control the environmental impact of its activities, products or services, continually improve its environmental performance, and implement a systematic approach to setting environmental objectives and targets. This system and its use are audited by Lloyd's of London.

About Bavaria: Today's Swinkels are the 7th generation of this notable lineage to own and operate the Bavaria brewery. Many forward-thinking family members have helped create the brewery's legendary status. By controlling the entire brewing process, the latest generation of Swinkels is achieving the highest brewing standards possible. Thanks to their efforts, Bavaria is now the second largest brewer in Holland and available in over 100 countries.

About World Brews: As the exclusive importer of Bavaria, Hollandia, Dutch Crown, and Dutch Windmill, World Brews is responsible for their sales, marketing, and distribution throughout the United States. World Brews, the beer division of Novato, California based Winery Exchange, Inc., distributes beer to all 50 states and works with over 120 distributors throughout the USA.