1968

The Beginning

Future Brewmaster Dan Del Grande is born in the formative years of a new movement in the San Francisco Bay Area

1989

Bison's iconic brewpub opens, amongst the first couple dozen commercially available craft beers in America, a movement that is now almost 5000 breweries nationwide.

1990s

Meanwhile, Organic Gains Momentum

Organic isn't just for hippies anymore. Consumers around the country begin to embrace the benefits of organically grown food. Parallel movements like slow food take hold, alongside other wellness trends like yoga and mindfulness.

1997

Brewmaster Dan, with family and friends, buy Bison Brewing's Berkeley brewpub.

Organic Food Sales:

$3.4 Billion Worldwide

2000s

Turn of The Century

Bison Beer goes 100% organic as raw beer ingredients finally become available.

In 2004, Bison joins advocacy with GMO Free Sonoma County hosting Canadian canola farmer Percy Schmeiser for his fundraising efforts to defend himself at the Canadian Supreme Court agains Monsanto. A natural fit, as Bison’s refreshing beer is carefully-crafted from minimal ingredients, & 100% non-GMO.

2006

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan

Michale Pollan’s “Omnivore’s Dillemma” becomes a best-seller, helping define the Movement with its overview of the social, ethical, and environmental impacts of modern food production. Sustainable attitudes scale as conscious consumers look critically at where their grocery and cosmetic items come from.

2007

The Story of Stuff, by Annie Leonard

“The Story of Stuff” by Annie Leonard clearly illustrates the problem of planned obsolescence. Americans begin to see the power of their consumer dollar to buy consciousl. Some corporate cronies call the idea “anti-capitalist”.

2009

Bison Beer Studies Carbon Footprint

Bison conducts its seminal Carbon Footprint Study of its business processes. A six-pack of Bison’s organic beer has 6.2 pounds of carbon, about 25% less than “regular beer” and 100% less than imported brews.

Bison is first brewery to be accepted as a B-Corporation, having demonstrated it serves a purpose for the greater social good.

Organic Dan is named a #Meatless Monday “Inspiring Mover and Shaker” joinging the ranks of Oprah Winfrey, Michael Pollan, & Padma Lakshmi. The global movement educates consumers to reduce their carbon footprint by lowering meat consumption.

2012

Kermit the Hop

Kermit the Hop is launched to a popular reception and awarded 95 points on ratebeer.com proving organic brews can compete with the best. "If you don't like an organic beer, blame the brewmaster, not the ingredients" says Organic Dan.

2013

Honey Basil

Honey Basil launches year round in 4-packs and quickly proves itself to be "pizza's perfect match" by Draft Magazine. In a year when bees across California are dying in their millions, Bison starts a poster campaign to raise awareness to save the bees.

2015

Plastic Free

Organic Dan pledges to live "Plastic Free", inspired by Beth Terry's book. The year-long challenge highlights the difficulty for consumers to avoid plastic.

2016

Organic product sales in the US breaks another record up to $43.3 Billion, up double digits from the previous year and with growth at 3x conventional foods. Organic now makes up 5% of food sales!

Bison is one of 22,000 certified organic operations in the U.S., and only 32,000 worldwide.

2017

On the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love, Bison remains true to its origins. Bison’s organic mission remains counter-cultural, and with a smile, we challenge individual drinkers to join us and live our motto of mindful living. Voting with your time and consumer dollar for truly good products is a humble form of anti-consumerism resistance.

Our Story