New Belgium likes to say it was born on a bike in 1988. Following a biking trip through Belgium, co-founders Jeff Lebesch, an engineer, and Kim Jordan, a social worker, were inspired to bring the flavors and traditions of Belgian brewing back to their hometown of Fort Collins, Colo. But they didn’t just want to make world-class beer; they also wanted to create a company that followed a set of principles: do right by people, inspire environmental and social change, and have fun doing it.
For New Belgium, having a strong culture of care and giving back has been as important as making beer their customers love, even as they’ve become the No. 1 craft brewer in the United States. It’s why they donate $1 per barrel of beer sold to philanthropic giving across the nation. It’s why they implemented sustainable energy and production practices into their breweries, and reformulated Fat Tire to be America’s first carbon-neutral beer. And it’s why they’ve chosen to work with Plante Moran for over 20 years.
