Redemption Rock becomes Worcester's second benefit corp.
Photo/Allan Jung
Redemption Rock CEO Dani Babineau (right), with head of marketing Dan Carlson
Redemption Rock Brewing Co. in Worcester is officially a certified benefit corporation, the second company to earn that title in Worcester, and the first craft brewery B-Corp in Massachusetts, the company announced on Tuesday.
The certification is the culmination of an 18-month process, according to an announcement from CEO Dani Babineau.
Vanderburgh House, a sober home, was the city's first certified B-Corp, having earned the classification in September 2018. Shrewsbury forensic accounting firm McLaren & Associates CPAs was the second company in Worcester County to earn the certification, when it did so in June 2019.
Prior to the official certification, Redemption Rock was a registered B-Corp, which Babineau described as “a for-profit company that uses the power of business to build a more inclusive and sustainable economy.”
That status allowed Redemption Rock to amend its governance so that it could legally make decisions and implement practices that consider not just shareholder value, but the impact on other stakeholders, as well, including employees, customers, society and the environment, said Babineau.
To be officially B-Certified requires a third-party review which measures a company’s performance in five categories: governance, workers, customers, community and the environment. Each area receives a score, which cumulatively must total 80 to attain certification. Redemption Rock received a total score of 96.8, according to Babineau.
“And it should surprise no one that our largest scores were for community (our partnerships with local nonprofits and efforts to conduct the bulk of our business locally played a big role in achieving this score) and environment (largely for our efforts in monitoring and limiting our energy usage and reducing waste),” Babineau said in a statement on the company’s website.
Babineau said the company plans to add the certification to all of its merch, stickers, beer cans and other marketing tools, and hopes to eventually host some sort of formal celebration.
“Other than that, nothing really is changing,” Babineau said. “Being a B corp has been in our DNA since day 1, and we’re gonna keep on keeping on.”
The only other B-Corp craft breweries to hold that status in New England are The Alchemist in Vermont and Allagash Brewing Co. in Maine, said Babineau.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated Redemption Rock was the first B-Corp in Worcester. Vanderburgh House was the first B-Corp in the city, earning its distinction in September 2018. The article also incorrectly stated McLaren & Associates CPAs was the first certified B-Corp in Worcester County. The firm is the county's second, having earned its distinction in June 2019.
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