In the face of devastating wildfires that have ravaged Canada, Best of Kin microbrewery has launched a poignant new initiative, “Fire Bloom: The Beer We Don’t Want to Brew.” Crafted from Fireweed honey, this special edition lager aims to raise awareness about climate change and fund critical reforestation efforts. Partnering with TANK Worldwide and Canadian fire artist Steven Spazuk, the campaign highlights the resilience of Canadian communities.
Chatting with Marty Martinez, Chief Creative Officer at Tank Worldwide, and ECD, Sebastian Benitez, the team delves into the collaborative efforts that brought this campaign to life, explore the creative process behind the impactful label design, and discuss the tangible outcomes and community benefits of Fire Bloom.
What did the brief ask for and how much freedom were you given to execute that?
After the 2023 wildfires, Best of Kin approached us with a desire to do something to help out. They were open to anything, as long as it helped the environment and the community and was in line with their brand. Through a collaborative process with the founders, we came up with the idea of creating a beer made from the aftermath of wildfires that would help fight the severity of wildfires today. Ultimately, we landed on brewing a beer using Fireweed honey, Fireweed being the first flower to grow out of the ashes of wildfires and containing this awesome symbol of regeneration.
Best of Kin are above all humble guys, so we didn’t want it to come off as though they were lecturing their audience about needing to work for the environment - so that’s how the idea of creating “The Beer We Don’t Want to Brew” came about, and this movement of getting everyone involved and helping the environment and the community, together.
With "The Beer We Don’t Want to Brew" being a poignant reminder of the wildfires, how did the creative team ensure that the campaign struck the right balance between raising awareness and inspiring hope and action?
The heart of the idea is inherently hopeful: to take Fireweed honey, which is borne of wildfire destruction, to fight back against wildfires, creates a regenerative cycle that lends our idea a tone of positivity and serves to inspire action. If something as fragile and beautiful as Fireweed can grow out of wildfires, so can we.
We wanted to be clear that Best of Kin wasn’t brewing this beer to profit off wildfires; we wanted to emphasize that it was something they didn’t want to do, but felt they had to. Placing this admission up-front by labelling it “The Beer We Didn’t Want to Brew” made Best of Kin feel relatable to Canadians who were also at a loss as to what to do. It highlighted that they are no better than anyone else, and although they haven’t acted before, could start now – and their audience could join them. We wanted to make sure people felt part of it immediately. The attitude was - none of us want to be in this situation. But we’re here. And we can all come together to fix it.
Steven Spazuk’s unique approach to art using fire and carbon is a central element of the campaign. Can you describe how his artistic vision influenced the design of the Fire Bloom label and how it reflects the campaign's message?
Steven Spazuk started his career in fumage (the art of making art with flame and soot) by allowing the flames to guide the images he created – but after a while, he felt his work needed more meaning. As an environmentalist, he saw that the fragility of the soot on paper held similarities to the precariousness of our environment, and a metaphor for its need for protection.
“The fact that the soot is just on the surface, that it’s super fragile, talks about the fragility of life on our planet with a really, really sensitive technique,” says Spazuk. “I’m really preoccupied by the climate crisis, and I’m a nature lover. So I decided to work on producing images that talk about the climate crisis and put the emphasis on the beauty and fragility of nature. Fire can burn and be very destructive – but it’s also super regenerative, and really vital to our ecosystems.”
Spazuk’s work, with its black-and-white look, was a perfect fit for Best of Kin’s existing brand. His art on the label helps put the emphasis on the fragility of our environment while mirroring the sentiment that like the brewing of the beer, we can make something of our fires, and come out stronger, together.
The campaign emphasizes local empowerment and reforestation efforts. How will the impact of these efforts be measured and communicated to the public?
Fire Bloom aims to support a variety of charities as it grows. Proceeds from the first two batches were donated to Project Forest, a non-profit aimed at rewilding and reforesting Canada. When Jasper caught fire just as the next few batches were sold to retailer Sobeys, we switched our financing efforts to helping rebuild it. With Best of Kin now having the success (and partnerships) required to make Fire Bloom a permanent part of their regular product line, financing efforts will change and adapt as wildfires destruction does. The dollars raised and who they’ll be donated to are determined at the start of every batch, making the financial impact easy to track and publish. The organizations receiving Fire Bloom’s help will be communicated through advertising, and results will be posted on firebloom.ca as they come in, in the form of dollars given and testimonials from people directly impacted by both the fires and the donations.
Any behind the scenes stories you’d like to share?
This project has been one where everything has been motivated by the cause; from the artist to the local microbrewery and the people impacted by the fires directly or indirectly. Every single individual who has taken part in this project has done it with passion and we all believe that we can use our creative ambitions for a positive impact in society.