Ebb & Flow Keg is a beverage distributor that aims to sustainably innovate the drinks industry by changing one simple thing: the packaging.
Our mission is to create a sustainable drinking culture that reflects and supports eco-friendlier production methods, transportation, service and consumption.
We take our company’s true environmental impact seriously and it's our mission to work transparently with our industry partners and producers and the end consumer.
In order to do this we cultivate strong relationships with our producers and partners who are eager to participate in a circular economy that strives to minimize packaging waste and that showcases the unique origin or their premium beverages.
We endeavor all to get off the beaten path and join the sustainable drinking culture!
The team, Deandra Anderson, Tina Oldenburg and Philipp Neveling, met one another during their studies at Hochschule Geisenheim University, located in the picturesque Rheingau Valley. While studying, the team gained valuable experience in viticulture (outside part of wine production dealing with the grape vines), oenology (cellar part of wine production concerning fermentation and aging), wine business, wine marketing and gastronomy in Germany and abroad. Upon graduation, the team contemplated opening a sustainable wine bar in Frankfurt am Main, offering a selection of specialty organic wine and craft beverages on tap and locally-sourced snacks.
With that idea, the trio applied and was awarded the Hessen Ideen Stipendium from July 2019 - December 2019. Within those six months, the sustainable wine bar in Frankfurt was pushed aside and Ebb & Flow Keg, the wine and craft beverage distributor, took its place.
Since 2019, the team has been working under the guidance and with the assistance of three departments: beverage technology, food safety and oenology, at their alma mater to research and test various wine styles on tap. The team has since successfully received the EXIST Founder’s Grant, from the German Ministry of Economics and Energy and the European Social Funds, that supports science-based innovative business ideas to be realized.
Growing up in the Central Valley of California, wine was constantly present. Although it was not until a semester abroad in Spain, during her first study, that wine production caught her attention as a future career path. Since then, she studied International Wine Business at Hochschule Geisenheim and worked in wine production and wine marketing in the US and Germany.
Her free time is spent on social and political activism, gardening, cooking and playing club volleyball.
Growing up in a mainly beer production, industrial region, Philipp always had a different approach and relationship to wine. During his viticulture and oenology studies at Hochschule Geisenheim he worked in France, Spain and Germany and found his way slowly, but surely, into the organic and biodynamic viticulture scene. This fascination and interest is attributable to the regenerative approach taken and the potential to reuse resources continually.
Since the team expressed interest in opening a sustainable wine bar in Frankfurt in 2019, the university professors and staff have supported the team in marketing, oenology, beverage technology, hygiene and food safety, finance and climate.
A center for students or alumni interested in founding a company that promotes sustainability from either the European Business School in Oestrich-Winkel or Hochschule Geisenheim University. Workshops and events are offered to help teams develop as entrepreneurs and their business idea. This is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economics and Energy (BMWi), through the EXIST program.
The team prepared a cradle-to-grave CO2 footprint of Ebb & Flow Keg’s infrastructure and how stainless steel kegs compare to one-way plastic kegs and the traditional glass bottle.
The Social Impact Lab Frankfurt is funded by the JP Morgan Chase Foundation and offers programs, such as ChancenNutzer, which targets young entrepreneurs with immigration backgrounds and who are looking to develop their business idea. ebb & flow keg benefited from this program from October 2019 - April 2020 and had regular workshops concerning business modeling, sales, social media and pitching and a business coach.
This six month incubator program supports entrepreneurs that are founding a business that is innovative and/or science-based. Teams are supported with monthly workshops on various topics and exchange with other scholarship recipients.
Producer Partners can be found on our services page
Definitions:
ebb and flow: the way in which the level of something becomes higher or lower in a regular and repeated way, like the way in which the sea’s tides rise and fall
keg: a small cask made out of stainless steel usually used for storing beverages
Literally, it means rising and falling of the tides, the coming and going, the pattern of something being continually emptied and refilled, taken and returned. The process that Ebb & Flow's kegs go through follows this cycle: constantly moving through a circular economy – being filled, transported, tapped, enjoyed, emptied, cleaned and refilled.
Transparency: in how we work with others, our supply chain and our environmental impact. That’s why we conducted a CO2 footprint analysis to show where our highest environmental impact lies and find eco-friendlier solutions.
Responsibility: awareness of our role and responsibility as a new company to build a more social and ecological company from the start and even if it’s more time consuming or costly.
Innovative approach: evaluation of why we do things the way we do them. Is it tradition, culture, convenience, fear?
The Ebb & Flow Keg team works with partners that highlight the diversity and uniqueness of their region and craft. The Ebb & Flow Keg portfolio offers exclusive batches of craft beverages and wines that won’t be found anywhere else.
Ebb & Flow Keg only works with producers that have an organic certification, or are in the certification process. Organic producers work to limit the impact on the environment by:
Literally, it means rising and falling of the tides, the coming and going, the pattern of something being continually emptied and refilled, taken and returned. The process that ebb & flow's kegs go through follows this cycle: constantly moving through a circular economy – being filled, transported, tapped, enjoyed, emptied, cleaned and refilled.
The keg, like a glass bottle, fulfills the requirements under German wine law for an appropriate package format for wine. The keg retains the protection of designations of origin, geographical indications and traditional terms in the wine sector, according to the EU Regulation No. 1306/2013.
ebb and flow: the way in which the level of something becomes higher or lower in a regular and repeated way, like the way in which the sea’s tides rise and fall
keg: a small cask made out of stainless steel usually used for storing beverages
Literally, it means rising and falling of the tides, the coming and going, the pattern of something being continually emptied and refilled, taken and returned. The process that Ebb & Flow's kegs go through follows this cycle: constantly moving through a circular economy – being filled, transported, tapped, enjoyed, emptied, cleaned and refilled.
The keg, like a glass bottle, fulfills the requirements under German wine law for an appropriate package format for wine. The keg retains the protection of designations of origin, geographical indications and traditional terms in the wine sector, according to the EU Regulation No. 1306/2013.
Stainless steel kegs have a life-span of 35 years. They are an ergonomic and sustainable packaging choice for beverages.
Benefits:
Transparency: in how we work with others, our supply chain and our environmental impact. That’s why we are conducting a CO2 footprint analysis to show where our highest environmental impact lies and find eco-friendlier solutions.
Responsibility: awareness of our role and responsibility as a new company to build a more social and ecological company from the start, even if it’s more time consuming or costly.
Innovative approach: evaluation of why we do things the way we do them. Is it tradition, culture, convenience, fear?
The container itself – Kegs are made out of stainless steel and come in varying sizes, 4 - 50 liter. The standard size used today for wine is 15 - 30 liters. This material is ideal to maintain high hygiene and food safety standards, protect from UV light and pollution particles, and ensure the organoleptic character of the keg contents remain unchanged. Kegs can be used for up to 35 years, if treated with care.
Why kegs? The majority of wine and craft beverages are meant to be enjoyed shortly after their manufacture and bottling date. The keg poses a paradigm shift for the presentation and serving of beverages. This pivotal innovation is based on changing the style of service to tapping from a reusable keg, which signifies a move away from the conventional, single-use glass bottle or bag-in-box that have energy intensive recycling processes.
Did Ebb & Flow Keg invent this concept? No! Ebb & Flow Keg is not the first to fill wine into kegs, single efforts can be seen internationally in all wine producing countries and within the beer industry. However, a unified infrastructure to handle the return, reuse and redistribution of kegs is not widely available in Germany or Europe. We are working to streamline the process and support those looking to take part in the sustainable drinking culture.
Currently, Ebb & Flow Keg cleans kegs at a local brewery in Mainz.
The Ebb & Flow Keg team works with partners that highlight the diversity and uniqueness of their region and craft. The Ebb & Flow Keg portfolio offers exclusive batches of craft beverages and wines that won’t be found anywhere else.
Ebb & Flow Keg only works with producers that have an organic certification, or are in the certification process. Organic producers work to limit the impact on the environment by:
