IBRIDA | BUONA COME IL PANE
Basic information
Project Title
Full project title
Category
Project Description
Ibrida is a neighborhood bread beer brewed with the surplus bread unsold in the local bakeries in Milan. The beer is crafted for and with the growing areas of the city, aiming to support small businesses scattered over the territory, promoting short supply chains and a sustainable vision. Ibrida means "hybrid", representing the perfect synthesis between the tradition of brewing and the trend of baking bread, and the perfect combination of the entrepreneurial and social spirit.
Project Region
EU Programme or fund
Description of the project
Summary
Ibrida is a neighborhood beer brewed with surplus bread procured from the bakeries in Milan, which encourages forms of economic and social innovation in the area.
Bread waste is a significant problem that bakeries face. Ibrida, responding to Sustainable Development Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) gives a second life to bread, turning it into a local, social, inclusive and circular beer.
Ibrida aims to:
- Reuse excess bread
- Reinvigorate growing areas
- Re-imagine opportunities for local businesses
As we are stronger when united, Ibrida relies on synergistic collaboration with a network of partners (B2B): breweries as producers; bakers as suppliers and a range of retailers/collaborators such as local producers, bars/restaurants, community hubs and socially oriented spaces that share the same mission and come together for a common goal.
Ibrida aims to reach a user target (B2C) represented by curious experts and experimenters of refined products, green drinkers sensitive to sustainable issues and smart citizens who actively participate in neighborhood initiatives.
Through meetings, events, social activities based on a strong participatory approach, it involves its community, online and offline. In the perfect combination of entrepreneurial and social spirit, Ibrida aggregates the actors of this system, conveying values of change and animating the community.
Key objectives for sustainability
The most relevant problem Ibrida responds to is food waste. In Italy 220,000 tons of food are wasted every year and 19% is attributable to bread. In the bakeries of Milan, despite the growing trend of attention to bread making, every day 3 to 7 kg remain unsold. Each Ibrida, not only reuses surplus bread but also reduces 30% of the malt, a key ingredient in beer production. And with the involvement of local bakeries and breweries, a local Km0 beer is born. Thus, Ibrida encourages more responsible consumption and production, responding to Sustainable Development Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).
One of the key objectives for Ibrida is partnering with as many breweries and bakeries as possible.
- The bakeries are necessary for bread collection. Ibrida has already partnered with some local bakeries but is looking for new partners to extend the impact. Small local bakeries can gain more visibility and a wider target group through the partnership with Ibrida (e.g. Paradiso del pane, Voglia di Pane); gourmet bakery / bread bars with a strong brand identity that can add an innovative sustainable product to their offer and that strengthen Ibrida's credibility (e.g. Longoni, Miccone, Pavé).
- While for microbreweries with an excess production capacity open to external partnerships to start new beer productions located in the territory. At the moment, Birrificio La Ribalta is the only producer but, in view of scalability, Ibrida is open to new collaborations to increase the production capacity and add a new sustainable product to their existing offering.
- This increases the focus on the circular economy and sustainability also for the final customer.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
Ibrida is a brainchild of four service designers. There is a high attention to aesthetic detail when it comes to aspects of brand design, marketing material and mode of communication. Every decision made to narrate the story of Ibrida always transmits the core values of a fresh, young, sustainable and premium beer brand. Some of the touchpoints that have been well curated to improve the user experience include:
- Label Design: The label of the beer always follows a distinct identity than the industrial beers. A subtle colour palette on a predominantly white base represents transparency and the artisanal quality of the beer. Recycled paper and simple typography reinforces values of sustainability. The label also represents co-creation by narrating the key features of neighbourhoods and brewery and bakery partners.
- Packaging design: The idea of reuse and recycling that represent the core of Ibrida is also emphasised by the special pack made with compressed cardboard. It highlights the artisanal process of conceiving both the beer and the elements around.
- Events: Ibrida is active in organising special events with its partners and new collaborations. All the events are set up to share a memorable experience, by educating our users about the baking and brewing process. In several events, Ibrida beer was paired with some special local Italian dishes to promote an organic way of life.
We at Ibrida always like to share the story of the Ibrida before the product itself, making everything we do an unforgettable experience!
Key objectives for inclusion
Studies show that in some growing areas of Milan there is a lack of activities dedicated to the community. Bovisa, Ibrida’s pilot project, is in third place as a "growing" neighborhood, indicating the willingness of the inhabitants to act proactively, but the above-mentioned problems have not been fully resolved yet. Ibrida wants to be part of this scenario in order to consolidate the process of social innovation in the neighborhoods.
Since the early stages, the project was created by a constant dialogue with local realities, several prototypes, interviews and co-designs were organized with 13 pubs, 3 breweries, 10 bakeries, two professional beer tasters, the urban garden of the Politecnico di Milano university and more than 17 bars, social places, and farmhouses.
However, we still feel the need to expand this network. Some of the key objectives in this direction include:
- Establish a network interested in selling local, artisanal and sustainable products. Till date, we have activated 19 retailers in Italy - Milan, Como, Novara, Fermo, Naples - but we are looking for new retailers who share the same values.
- Direct sale of the product to curious drinkers, green drinkers and smart citizens. We feel the need to find new channels to engage users, such as events, delivery services, merchandising, co-design and participatory activities, feedback etc. Making this bread beer accessible and affordable to each neighborhood resident is key. An added opportunity would be to see the citizens feeling proud of participating in Ibrida's mission.
- We would like to organize ad hoc collaborations to promote the neighborhood with sustainable initiatives. We are connected to Repubblica Del Design, Reflow, Frieco, but the idea is to expand the network in order to have a greater impact on the territory (farmhouses, associations, etc.).
Innovative character
Ibrida is a beer brewed with unsold bread. For each beer, not only do we encourage the reuse of surplus raw materials, but we also reduce 30% of the malt, a key ingredient in beer production. In this way we send an important message about the values of circularity and sustainability.
Despite the fact that this is an innovative concept, we are not the only ones producing a bread beer. Other realities are Toast Ale in England, Biova in Piedmont and RecuperAle in Rome.
Ibrida stands out for its community aggregation and activation, as each beer is brewed for and with the individual neighborhood. "Ibrida x I Quartieri" is a scalable and replicable model that leverages local resources in order to create high levels of engagement, give support to collaborators and local producers. The 1st edition of "Ibrida x Bovisa", made with unsold bread from local bakeries and with the partner brewery of the neighborhood, represents a proof of concept.
It aims to involve people in the process of brewing and baking, to offer them a project they can relate to and feel ambassadors for, and to be recognized as a reference point in the neighborhood. With the production of three beers (Ibrida x Bovisa, Chiaravalle and Barona) we have already begun to collaborate with various stakeholders in each neighborhood.
This people-centered process increases the collective financial and human capacity of the neighborhoods with the goal of improving the quality of life of the people who live there. Community building includes measurable social projects and activities that lead to long-term positive systemic change. This will benefit policymakers to increase human capital and promote forms of economic and social innovation at the local scale.
