When West Sixth was founded in 2012, we made the goal not only to brew great beer, but have a positive impact on the communities we are a part of. We do this in a variety of ways: Supporting non-profits we believe in, being a great place to work, and being as environmentally friendly as possible. We are committed to giving back at least 6% of our profits yearly, are housed in a rehabilitated historic building, and will always pay our employees a living wage.
This is our second year releasing the Sustainability Report, and we are happy to use it again as a measuring stick for our values while setting goals for the future. We can continue to improve our efforts and are passionate about doing so. By measuring these things under the categories of Social Sustainability, Environmental Sustainability, and Economic Sustainability, we were able to encompass everything we believe in.
Our social culture is deeply rooted in what we can do for the community we are a part of, including our own West Sixth Team. With programs that give money back to folks who are doing great things, we were able to give $163,250 in 2017! We also love sharing our space with the local beer drinking community through ongoing happenings here in the taproom.
This year, we feel our biggest contribution environmentally was getting the West Sixth Farm built up! We planted hops, trees, and berry brambles, raised two cows who sustainably grazed 30 of the Farm's 120 acres, and partnered with the Kentucky Mountain Biking Association to create four miles of mountain biking trails. Canning our beer is a choice we continue to make to do what we can for the planet as a whole.
We are happiest to spend our money with local businesses at every opportunity possible so as to support our state economy. By doing this, we feel as though the places we live, work and eat are being benefitted by us in some way. It's also great how many of our employees live close to the brewery and often choose non-car commutes, benefitting our closest locale.
Speaking of, it is our employees who keep West Sixth running, giving us the ability to give back as much as we do. We want to pay them well, provide them opportunities to grow and thrive, and give them access to benefits. Our team is our biggest asset and we want to keep them around!
You can download our full report here. As always, we know it is not perfect. We plan to update this report annually, and welcome any feedback you might have here. Here is the report from last year.