Alexis Esseltine, MES
When Alexis took over Tin Whistle Brewing in 2020, the brewery was 30 years old, financially teetering, and literally staring down the bailiff. Fast-forward 2.5 years: Tin Whistle became B.C.’s first carbon-neutral brewery, cutting total emissions by 25% despite quadrupling beer production. That’s an 81% reduction per litre of beer brewed. Alexis didn’t stop there—she spearheaded a zero-waste-to-landfill program, turning 11,856 kg of landfill waste into… zero. Innovations include reusing 13,751 plastic can carriers and brewing award-winning beer from upcycled sake kasu and winery waste. From energy-efficient chillers to collaborative shipping with neighbouring breweries, Alexis has transformed a struggling legacy business into a nimble, sustainability-led market leader—all while proving that great beer and ambitious climate action can, indeed, pour from the same tap.
