Partner Spotlight: Aslan Brewing Co.
All Organic, Inside & Out.
At KNOWN SUPPLY we believe all brands should be ethical apparel brands. We're here to help align the values a company has all the way through to the clothing or merchandise they sell.
We've worked with hundreds of brands, non-profit organizations and events to make this a reality, and with every partnership we further our mission of connecting more shoppers with the makers behind their clothing.
We recently connected with a new partner of ours to learn more about their values based business and we thought you'd enjoy reading along. Aslan Brewing Co. is an organic beer brewery based out of Bellingham, WA. We interviewed their Community Outreach & Merch Director about what they're all about.
Tell us a little about Aslan Brewing Co...
Aslan is a lot of things-- brewery, restaurant, and most importantly, a vibrant community. The business was created by a few young friends looking for an alternate path-- and over the last five years, we’ve evolved into a lot more than that. We have nearly a hundred employees and opened our third location (and first in Seattle!) this fall . We make craft beer with organic ingredients & serve locally sourced food in our brewpub. We’re a tight knit group of people motivated by the idea of business as a force for good.
Why was it important to you to place so much emphasis on organic ingredients?
Making organic beer and sourcing local food is about a lot more than the actual ingredients. Organic farming practices have a huge impact on our environment and that’s very important to us at Aslan. Additionally, it means our dollars are spent on smaller businesses with values aligned with our own. This organic supply chain includes organic hop farmers in Yakima (and our own community!), grain grown in a neighboring agricultural community and malted by our friends at Skagit Valley Malting, and so much more. We create organic beer because consumers deserve an option made with the best possible ingredients and we’re able to produce that without looking too far outside of our own community.
Hey, our founders are from Washington State. You are based in Bellingham, WA. What do people need to know about Bellingham?
It’s not lost on us that Bellingham is a pretty magical place. Aside from being a hub for craft beer & local food, we’re surrounded by an environment that is nearly impossible to beat. We have world class mountain biking trails in our backyard, access to incredible skiing & snowboarding, and the amazing Puget Sound all around us. You can ride your bike to nearly fifteen breweries, see live music every night of the week, and escape to beautiful state parks in less than an hour.
Bellingham is dubbed “the city of subdued excitement” and we’re definitely okay with that.
Why did you choose to partner with KNOWN SUPPLY for your latest merchandise?
As an organic brewery that prides ourselves in sourcing with as small of a footprint as possible, it just made sense to explore more socially & environmentally conscious merch options. Supporting textile collectives that empower women in developing countries means we can feel good about creating merchandise, and have the opportunity to further share the message and educate our customers on why this global mindset is so important. Using organic cotton is also huge! Organic cotton farming uses significantly less water & is less harmful for soil than traditional farming-- both impacts we value.
You are a fellow B Corp. What has that meant to your team and your broader community?
We became a B Corp in 2016 & have made a commitment to strengthening our B Corp score annually ever since! Being a B Corp means we adhere to a rigorous set of standards related to workers, suppliers, consumers, community & the environment. This looks like a lot of things, including our sustainability initiatives, conscious supply sourcing, employee wellness programs, and extensive community outreach. One element of this that I am especially excited about is the employee volunteer program we launched in 2019-- this has strengthened our internal Aslan community and also enabled us to support rad nonprofits in Bellingham in a new way.
What are 2 of your favorite beers you have on tap?
This is a hard thing to narrow down! We are very proud of our lager program as the craft beer trends shift away from the ultra hazy IPA of years past. Our Coastal Pils is a light, bitter German style Pilsner that is the perfect thing after a mountain bike ride or… really whenever. Another beer that I have been loving is the Pink Yoshi-- a raspberry Berliner Weisse that is so tart & refreshing. Soon it will be dark beer season, so I’m soaking up the last of fall sun & lighter beers with it.
What's next for Aslan & how can we follow along?
One of my favorite elements of my position with Aslan is that the business is always shifting and evolving. Aslan has grown so much in the last five years, and it’s only going to continue to evolve. Our new location in Seattle opens the doors for us to collaborate with an entirely new community of folks-- farmers, artists, musicians, brewers, chefs… the list goes on and on. I am super excited about these opportunities! You can follow us on instagram to see more about our day to day operations, beer releases, events, and community collaborations. We’re always excited to connect and work with like minded businesses!
