A B Corp collaboration to make your mouth water

Ben & Jerry’s and 4 Pines join forces to create an ice cream inspired beer to support renewable energy 

Australian craft brewery 4 Pines and global ice cream mavericks Ben & Jerry’s have come together to create a nitro-infused “good beer that gives back”. 

The limited-edition Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough beer launched in mid-May as a celebration of community — with $30,000 being donated to help Australia’s first community-owned power company, Enova Community Energy. 

It’s not the first time Ben & Jerry’s, one of the world’s leading B Corps, has made its thoughts on climate issues known. Last year’s Un-fudge our Future flavoured ice cream donated $20,000 to support 350.org’s community organising work. 

Ttobie Arowobusoye, sustainability and social impact advisor at 4 Pines was part of the team that created the collaboration. She told Pro Bono News that the partnership with Enova made perfect sense to them because  4 Pines had itself accessed community-funded energy programs, and continues to operate on 100 per cent renewable power.

“How the partnership with Enova will work is that the $30,000, which will be available even if we don’t make that amount in beer sales, will sit in a fund with 4 Pines,” she said. 

“We will then run an expression of interest process for community groups and send on shortlisted applications to Enova. They will do the due diligence work and once a community group has been selected we’ll release the funds.” 

The funding will go towards Enova’s revolving community energy fund, which will mean that the winning community group is set up with solar panelling and becomes a customer of Enova Community Energy. 

Stephanie Curley, Ben & Jerry’s Australia’s social mission manager, said that the company had long fought for a renewable energy future and that the partnership with 4 Pines provided a foundation for a sustainable solution with solar panels for the people and the planet. 

The ‘revolving’ part of the fund means energy savings from the solar installation are used to repay the cost (like a no-interest loan), with these funds being used again to fund a new solar installation for community groups. The funds repaid over the next ten years will be funnelled into other community groups, funding more solar projects in the future.  

Andrew Tweddell, head brewer of 4 Pines, said that since day one the business had brewed beer that the team not only wanted to drink personally but that would make them proud.

 “Our Ben & Jerry’s-inspired brew has certainly ticked both boxes. It’s truly a good beer that gives back, and the flavour profile is nostalgic and decadent,” he said. 

“For us, we want to leave the world in a better state than we found it. As each year goes on, we’re working to become a sustainable and community-minded brewery that can make a difference”.