New Belgium Brewing Co. x Imperfect Foods

Do the oranges at the grocery store strike you as suspicious? If you’ve ever seen an orange tree, you know that not every orange looks like a perfectly round ball with the same flat color you’d see on a preschool ROYGBIV chart. In fact, most of the fruits and vegetables you see at a conventional grocery store have been picked for their perfection—those with aesthetic flaws never make it through the door. 

It turns out grocery stores have narrow beauty standards just like the rest of society. 

Fortunately, we have online grocers like Imperfect Foods, which reduces food waste by sending tasty yet visually unappealing produce right to your doorstep, along with other sustainably sourced foods like meat and eggs. Their partnership with New Belgium Brewing Co. extends their mission to those less inclined to eat lumpy oranges. 

Introducing: The Citrus Rescue IPA. This tangy beverage was brewed with 35,000 imperfect oranges, rescued from the hands of judgy grocers. With hints of vanilla and spice, this IPA tastes just like an orange creamsicle, tugging at our childhood heartstrings. 

The best part of this drink is that you can take part in the mission to reduce food waste without having to see the ‘ugly’ produce. All you see is an innocent, googly-eyed orange on the can that makes you think twice about your own unrealistic produce standards. 

This collaboration is a great way for both brands to amplify their shared purpose. Like Imperfect Foods, New Belgium Brewing Co. is a certified B corporation that maintains a zero-waste certification. They’re famous for making Fat Tire Amber Ale, the first carbon neutral beer in the U.S. 

The partnership allows both companies to work toward a common goal in a creative way that they couldn’t have done seperately. It goes to show that you don’t need to do it all; you just need a partner who has what your brand is missing.