our story
Brewed with love in Austin, Texas
before big country beverages, there was big country...sugar?
Founder and CEO, Bill Gillies, has been providing ingredients to the organic and natural food markets since the 1990s. He continuously looked towards going one step further to the source of raw materials.
He imagined a commitment to human rights, environmental protection, and ethical business practices—a vision that could only be achieved through a partnership with an organic sugar cane farm devoted to the same principles in Paraguay.
After closing the chapter on his organic cane sugar adventures, Bill was ready for the next big thing in organic production. Big Country hard seltzer is made from the fermentation of Big Country Organic Fair Trade certified cane sugar.
learn more about big country's mission and vision for the future in this interview with founder, bill gillies and president, ryan shramek.
big country gives back
a world-changing way of doing business
big country gives back
a world-changing way of doing business
big country gives back
a world-changing way of doing business
about fair trade
Based on the simple idea that the products bought and sold every day are connected to the livelihoods of others, Fair Trade is a way to make a conscious choice for a better world.
A choice for Fair Trade Certified goods is a choice to support responsible companies, empower farmers, workers, and protect the environment. In other words, it’s a world-changing way of doing business.
When you see the Fair Trade Certified™ seal on our products, you can be sure that our organic cane sugar farmers work in safe conditions, protect the environment, build sustainable livelihoods, and earn additional money to empower and uplift their communities.
Big Country Fair Trade purchases have sent over $91k to the farmers since they started!
Walter Gonzalez and his son Francisco Hernan Gonzalez as they harvest organic sugar cane at their Fair Trade Certified sugar farm in Paraguay.
“many producers have benefitted from our certification with fair trade in ways they never imagined. i want to thank our consumers in the us for buying fair trade certified sugar from us here in paraguay. we are offering a product that not only benefits our communities economically, but also pitches into the safeguarding of our country, and world as a whole.”
jorge baez
Baez currently serves as treasurer of the Fair Trade Committee for his organic sugar farm.
sustainable from hops to cartons
Big Country believes in ingredients that are better for you and better for the planet, that’s why we source only the best of the best organic ingredients. Our beverages are crafted with Certified USDA Organic ingredients. This means that the cropland must have had no prohibited substances applied to it for at least 3 years before the harvest of an organic crop, and that soil fertility and crop nutrients are managed through tillage and cultivation practices, crop rotations, and cover crops. In short, it means more care for the crop, more contact with the farmers, and less stress on the soil and downstream environments.
On top of organic ingredients, our brewing facility also meets rigorous organic standards. As a brewery that brews both organic and conventional beverages, we must follow strict regulations to ensure there is zero cross-contamination between organic and non-organic ingredients. Our facilities are inspected yearly by a third-party certification agency, QAI, to ensure our procedures are following NOP standards.
All of our packaging is recyclable, including our aluminum cans and kegs, and cardboard cartons making for a sustainable product from before the brew, to crushing your can after the last sip. Learn more about why aluminum cans are the most eco-friendly packaging here.
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