In 2023, Headframe will save over 1.4 million gallons of water and we’ll do it without sacrificing product quality. To put that into perspective, that’s over 2 olympic size pools, 5,600 hot tubs or 18,000 bath tubs.

Every day, Headframe looks for innovative ways to increase our sustainability and we’re proud to say we’ve found a big one, thanks to our T85 Production Team Manager, Greg Barnett.

But wait, there’s more!

Less water means less energy required to heat the water.

We get our water from the fresh Montana snowmelt and are proud to use it to make our award winning spirits – and we never want to take more than we need.

The water is not ours, it belongs to all the inhabitants of our ecosystem. Headframe is one small part of a giant ecosystem dependent on Earth’s most precious resource. 

We work intentionally to be good stewards of our Community with a commitment to always be evolving in alignment with the United Nation’s Sustainable Water Goals.

Thank you for supporting our work.

On Saturday December 10, 2022 I got to give the Commencement speech at Montana Tech. I put a lot of love and effort into speaking and this one meant a lot in many ways. I framed the talk around one of my favorite quotes, by Gary Snyder, “Find your place on the planet, dig in and take responsibility from there.” In many ways I’ve built my life—and we’ve built our business—around this quote.

For me, public speaking is always an opportunity to dig in and practice one of my core values: Courage. Not just to talk about what it means to be courageous, but to practice it, real time. And not just practice it by simply reciting words in front of a group, but by using a talk to be vulnerable. To be honest.

I grew up thinking that badass, amazing people must have been born that way—that they were lucky. I’ve learned instead that badasses are made by our actions and our words. It’s a choice and it takes effort to live our values. I want to always model courage which I think is one of the most badass skills we can bring to the world.

I also love to share the things I don’t think we hear enough of in our lives: that success means being more like ourselves, not more like everyone else. That money isn’t Purpose and that a life full of Purpose will be a life well lived. That we’re capable of more than we could possibly imagine in this moment. I meant these things as I shared them with the students and I mean them for you, right now, in this moment, too.

I’ve made mistakes, I’ve failed at things. That isn’t what defines me. My Values and my sense of Purpose are what defines me. The way I use those things to dig in, to take responsibility, to take action, that’s what defines me. That’s true for each of us, I believe.

I’m honored that Butte, America is my place. That Montana is my place.

I’m also honored that a kid who didn’t graduate high school got to be the Montana Tech commencement speaker. No joke, that was the first time in my life I ever put on a cap and gown.

I wish each of us a clear sense of purpose and the knowledge that we have the power to dig in and take responsibility, whatever that means to us.

To our Grads and to the rest of us, let’s all go forth and be our rad-ass best.

Over the last 10 years, Headframe has made a point to be more than just a business in Butte. We are – at our core – a part of the vibrant, generous Butte Community. In every decision we make we aim to amplify the awesome impact we can have on our family, our friends and our neighbors. 

Many of us have been personally impacted by breast cancer. 1-in-8 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime and, by the time you finish reading this, another woman will be diagnosed. 

These women are members of our communities, but more, they’re our partners, our mothers and grandmothers, our children, our siblings and our best friends.

“Diagnosis comes from screenings,” said Theresa Dennehy of Montana Breast & Cervical Cancer Screening Program. “If [people] do not get screened, there is no diagnosis. Early detection saves lives.”

During the month of October, our Orphan Girl labels transform to increase breast cancer awareness and access to breast cancer screenings. $1 from each purchase is donated right back into our Community into the Montana Breast & Cervical Cancer Screening Program. 

In the last three years, Headframe has provided 27 free breast or cervical screenings to women in southwest Montana. And we’ve done it because of your help.

“If women don’t have the funds and have no insurance, they don’t get screened. Times are tough right now,” continued Dennehy. “[Headframe] has raised enough money that we have been able to screen every woman that has called us.”

As a dedicated member of our community and a B Corp, our values here at Headframe drive everything we do. Two of those values are Community and Giving Back. With our Orphan Girl Breast Cancer Awareness bottles, we are able to give back thanks to our community. 

To be part of the Good, purchase a bottle at our Tasting Room or at your local liquor store in Montana. You can also make any donations in our Tasting Room or on our website that go straight to the Montana Breast & Cervical Cancer Screenings Program.

Certified Benefit Corporations are businesses that use a their company as a force for Good. By prioritizing people and our planet over profit, we are one of a growing list of businesses in Montana that proudly wears this certification.

Here at Headframe, we understand the responsibility that comes with being a steward of the Community. That’s why we make sure we consider every impact our actions will have on the members within it.

In 2016, we received our B Corp status, using every decision as an opportunity to put our workers and our Community first.

Owner Courtney McKee says, “Our B Corp status reflects our values. Headframe consistently prioritizes our shareholder’s values over shareholder value. Doing what’s right isn’t always easy in the short term but in the long run, there’s no other way to work with integrity and we know integrity matters.”

During a discussion about B Corps in April 2022, she addressed the fact that smaller producers in the spirit industry often face challenges overlooked by larger companies.

“There’s no real (environmental) guidance for smaller spirits brands and distilleries; and there’s a good, long way to go (to figure that out),” she stated, according to an article in Sustainable Brands.

A message that was agreed with during a 90-minute virtual roundtable recorded by Distill Ventures.

“(We don’t know) what some of those lower expense-higher impact opportunities look like and what it looks like to plan for a future making more sustainable, more positive investments in what we do,” Courtney said.

Even still, Headframe continues to create a road map to sustainability. Looking for innovative ways where we can make a difference starting right here, in our community.

Click here to read Headframe’s Impact Report.