Cultural Event 2 - Sierra Nevada Brewery

Humble is a man that wins awards and does not boast, genuine is a man who’s character is both moral and ethical. Good hearted and loves what he does. Ken Grossman is an inspiration to us all. To have a business that is striving to have a zero carbon foot. Reduce, reuse, recycle and close the loop is exactly what Sierra Nevada Brewing Co is doing. Using solar and fuel cells to power 80% of their facilities, having their own waste water treatment plant. They take all tons the used barely and hops, feed to herds of cattle. The cattle manure is then used as fertilizer on their hops crops. These are some of the efficient ways Sierra Nevada recycles to be sustainable.

Sierra Nevada is unknown for winning awards and being apart of clean energy programs, giving back to the community and the environment. But that’s fine they don’t need any more publicity. Brewing over 650,000 barrels a year in the small town of Chico. A trend setter for brewing industry with new innovations and sustainable practices it’s no wonder they are the 4^th largest brewery in the Nation. He found something he liked, loved and ran with it. From a start up company in the 80’s using makeshift equipment from scrap yards and old dairies, to being the 11^th largest brewery in the world importing custom copper kettles from Germany. Success has favored the brave. Following his passion with all the ups and downs of a starting a business from the times when the assembly line was first operational to the times he had a second job to make ends meet. He persevered and has become extremely successful in doing so. What’s his secret to success “it’s all about the beer” he said, quality is what Sierra Nevada prides themselves on. Using the freshest ingredients, whole leaf hops, barely and special “Chico yeast” this is what makes them Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. It’s the company that made Chico famous.