It started with a notice

We received mail from our town. They were no longer able to recycle glass because the regional recycling center was over capacity.

It felt wrong throwing a perfectly good glass bottle away after enjoying a drink, so we didn’t. Instead, we started stashing empty bottles away in the closet.

We kept thinking - there’s got to be a better use for these bottles. After all, the 12 ounce, long-neck beer bottle is the most common piece of glass in human history. They are manufactured by the billions every year.

Then we thought, why not fill our empty bottles again with something we can sell? That bottle would have new life instead of wasting away in a landfill. As it turns out, only 40% of all glass bottles get reused or recycled. A huge problem is a huge opportunity.

We started brewing root beer at home just so we had something to fill these bottles with and get them back in circulation. Our friends seemed to really like our root beer too!

Consumers at our local farmer’s market also loved it, and we sold out on our first trip. It adds to the charm that the six packs they buy are mismatched and “ugly”.

Now we’re on a mission to save 1 billion bottles and inspire others to join the circular economy.

Ugly Beer, Beautiful World.