Welcome to Small Business Sessions, brought to you by Enterprise Nation as part of Powering Local Businesses, our collaboration with EDF Small Business and Square.

This series explores the practical steps small businesses can take to grow and thrive – from improving energy efficiency and embracing sustainability to creating a lasting impact in their local communities.

In this episode, we're joined by Rob Wilson, co-founder of Toast Brewing, a brewery that makes craft beer using surplus bread.

Rob shares how Toast Brewing began as a project to raise awareness of food waste, why the team turned surplus bread into beer, and how the business has grown into a mission-led brand stocked by major retailers.

Topics discussed in the episode:

• Why food waste is one of the biggest environmental issues the planet is facing
• How getting hold of surplus bread is, as Rob puts it, "depressingly easy"
• Why Toast donates 1% of revenue or 100% of profits to environmental charities
• Attracting investors including National Geographic and Heineken International
• Becoming a B Corp and why the process helped Toast improve its internal culture
• Expanding internationally through licensing, collaboration and local brewing partnerships
• Why Rob believes purpose-led businesses still need to focus hard on product quality

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