Penrhos Spirits, the small independent family-run craft distillery on Penrhos farm, today announced it has been verified by BLab to achieve Certified B Corporation™ status, joining a global movement of businesses meeting the highest verified standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. To mark the occasion and celebrate saving 1 million wonky blueberries from going to waste, Penrhos is also launching its first limited edition ‘Wonky Blueberry’ gin on 1st September.
For a distillery built on sustainability from the very first bottle, the certification is an independent stamp on a founding philosophy that has defined Penrhos since day one – from rescuing wonky and imperfect fruit from the farm that would otherwise go to waste, to becoming the first distillery in the UK to move from glass to 100% recycled aluminium bottles, cutting its packaging carbon footprint by an independently verified 91%.
Founded in 2018 by fruit farmers, Penrhos was born on the family farm in Herefordshire, where a 250-year-old cow shed was converted into a small-batch, copper-still distillery. Every spirit begins with ‘imperfectly perfect’ fruit – the wonky raspberries, blueberries, cucumbers and apples deemed too knobbly or oddly-shaped for the supermarket shelf – grown on the farm and rescued from the waste stream. What started as a way to make good use of a fruit harvest has become a full sustainability story: farm-grown botanicals, natural water, minimal-waste production and, since 2023, the world-first switch to 100% recycled aluminium bottles that has won the brand recognition for innovation, sustainability and eco-packaging alike.
To achieve B Corp certification , the small team were assessed across five areas – governance, workers, community, environment and customers – and had to provide verified evidence for every claim, from packaging and supply chain to how it treats its people and its patch of Herefordshire. Since its inception, Penrhos has ‘rescued’ over 1 million blueberries from waste and achieved a B Impact assessment score of 86.8 whereas the median score for ordinary businesses completing the assessment is 50.9.
Charlie Turner, co-founder of Penrhos Spirits, said: “Achieving BCorp as a small business in the alcohol industry is a big moment for us and we hope it shows the commitment we have as a brand into sustainability and the environment at such an important time. It confirms our core sustainability credentials and it puts us - a small independent producer - alongside some of the biggest global drinks brands. We know the industry is full of green claims and this certification is an independent guarantee of our genuine commitment to our ongoing sustainability mission.”
Chris Turner, CEO of B Lab UK, says: “Welcoming Penrhos Spirits to the B Corp community is hugely exciting. Its commitment to doing business differently will be an inspiration to others and will help spread the notion that success in business is as much about people and planet as it is profit.”
To celebrate the certification and saving 1 million blueberries so far, since launch in 2019, Penrhos is launching its first Blueberry Gin along with a new campaign #SaveTheBlueberries which encourages consumers to freeze their squishy blueberries instead of throwing them out, and using them as ice cubes in their Gin & Tonic. New research by Penrhos Spirits1 reveals that UK households throw away more than 12,000 tonnes of fresh blueberries every year - enough to fill the iconic Battersea Power Station turbine hall from floor to ceiling. The limited edition Blueberry Gin will be available at the beginning of September and can be pre-ordered now on the website www.penrhosspirits.co.uk.