The Craft of Collaboration: Stone Brewing Taps into a Smarter Way to Deliver

When you crack open a Stone IPA, you’re not just enjoying a meticulously crafted beer; you’re also partaking in a surprisingly complex logistical ballet. Getting those fresh, hoppy brews from the brewery to your glass—it’s quite the journey, isn’t it? And for years, like so many businesses, Stone Brewing navigated the often-treacherous waters of traditional shipping. But here’s the thing: those old ways? Well, they’re really not cutting it anymore.

You see, for a long time, the standard playbook for shipping less-than-truckload (LTL) meant a whole lot of inefficiency. Imagine your precious cargo, say a pallet of perfectly good beer, loaded onto a truck. It’s then taken to a hub, unloaded, sorted, reloaded onto another truck, maybe even a third. All those stops, all that handling—it’s a recipe for delay, damage, and honestly, a massive headache for everyone involved. And beyond the practical frustrations, there’s a real, tangible cost to our planet. More trucks, more miles, more stops mean a larger carbon footprint, something we’re all increasingly aware of, I think.

But what if there was a better way? What if you could send your goods on a truck that was going exactly where it needed to go, without all the detours? Enter Flock Freight, and their rather ingenious shared truckload (STL) model. It’s a concept that, you could say, feels almost revolutionary in its simplicity: multiple shippers, all heading in the same general direction, share one truck. No more hubs, no more re-handling; just a direct, smooth ride from origin to destination. And that, in truth, changes everything.

For Stone Brewing, this partnership with Flock Freight has been nothing short of transformative. Lila Berg, their VP of Logistics, probably summed it up best: it's about efficiency, yes, but also about peace of mind. Those beers, they’re arriving two to four days faster now. Think about that for a moment – fresher product, quicker turnaround. And because there’s no endless parade of loading and unloading, the risk of damage plummets. It just makes sense, doesn't it? It’s smarter, leaner, and frankly, a lot less stressful for everyone in the supply chain.

Yet, the story doesn't end there, because this isn’t just about faster deliveries or happier logistics managers. This is also about the environment. Stone Brewing has always prided itself on doing things the right way, and sustainability is very much a part of that ethos. By adopting Flock Freight’s shared truckload model, they’ve managed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by an impressive 23%. That’s not a small number, not by any stretch. It’s a significant step towards a more sustainable future, proving that you can indeed run a successful business while also being a good steward of the planet.

So, the next time you raise a glass of Stone Brewing’s finest, perhaps take a moment to appreciate the journey it took to get to you. It’s a journey that’s becoming increasingly efficient, increasingly thoughtful, and for once, genuinely kinder to our world. And really, isn't that something worth celebrating?