What does on-farm mean?
Crannóg Ales is situated on a ten-acre organic farm in the Shuswap. We grow our own hops, and use all of our spent grains on our own farm, to feed our animals or for compost. We also treat and re-use our wastewater, creating a zero-emissions system. Our garden feeds our family, and the surplus goes to support the community.
Organic certification
Organic agriculture is an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony. In making organic beer, we use only certified organic ingredients.
Our brewery is inspected at least once a year, to ensure that we are following certified organic regulations. These regulations range from specific cleaners and sanitizers to pest control and fining agents. Our practices and ingredients must meet international standards in order for us to be certified organic. Canada's national organic standard has equivalence with other international organic standards, and importers into Canada must also meet our standard or be certified under an equivalent standard.
Your guarantee that we do meet all these standards is our certifier. We are certified by NOOA (North Okanagan Organic Association), under provincial Organic BC standards. For all products claiming to be organic, look for the Canada Organic logo (for national or internationally sourced foods) or the checkmark logo for BC organic products. We are certified under the "Intraprovincial Only" category of certification, which means that we are only certified for sales within BC. We still meet the production standards of the national standard, however. The COABC is authorized by the CFIA (Canada Food Inspection Agency, which oversees Canada's food safety systems) to accredit certification bodies in BC to both the national and regional standards.
Crannóg Ales is Canada's first certified organic micro-brewery, and one of only two on-farm microbreweries in the country.
What does certified organic mean?
Organic agriculture is an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony. Organic agriculture feeds the soil to feed the plant. While we cannot guarantee that traces of chemical contaminants are not in the atmosphere around our farms, we can guarantee that we do not put them there! Our practices keep our soil healthy and happy - and you will be too.
In making organic beer, we use only certified organic ingredients. Our brewery is inspected twice a year to ensure that we are following certified organic regulations. These regulations range from the specific cleaners and sanitizers we use to pest control. Our practices and ingredients must meet international standards in order for us to be certified organic. In addition, we re-use all the brewery by-products on our farm, and support the local economy by buying local as much as possible.
Who is the certifier?
Crannóg Ales is certified by NOOA (the North Okanagan Organic Association). NOOA is part of the COABC, the Certified Organic Associations of British Columbia, which is recognized by the International Standards Organization. This means that the standards, or guidelines, we follow are consistent with standards all over the world. Certification assures our customers that a consistent set of standards is being applied, and that they are publicly available. Without the certification number or logo, there is no surety that any standard has been consistently applied.
Look for certified organic labels on your foods, beverages and other products. With a certification number, you are assured that these products have been produced in the most ecologically sustainable manner possible.
Claims of "natural", "eco-friendly" or "green" have not been substantiated, and have no national, regional or international standards to support their claims and give them meaning. Such claims are greenwashing. Buy Certified Organic products and foods, and try to buy from people you know personally.
Our Certification number is 04-190.
By buying organic, you are supporting your local economy and contributing to a healthier world.