Who would’ve thought an Atlanta Bible study group would become a full-time craft brewery? Jeff Heck, Joel Iverson, and Jonathan Baker did. The trio founded Monday Night Brewing, an Atlanta company that has expanded to other cities across the South. What started as a passion project in their driveways transformed into a full-scale business.
The first location opened in 2013 in West Midtown Atlanta. This facility focuses on the main beer lines and small-batch brews. A second location, Monday Night Garage, opened in south Atlanta in 2017. It focuses on barrel-aged, sour beers and experimental brews. Since then, locations in Nashville, Charlotte, and Birmingham have opened.
One of the core beliefs of Monday Night is diversity. “We are a company made up of a diverse set of people with a diverse set of beliefs, and we celebrate that,” the company website says.
It is also a proponent of local politics, the power of cities, and the importance of second chances and forgiveness.
“These are admittedly lofty goals, particularly for a small business still trying to find its way in the industry. We know we will stumble along the way,” the website says. “We want to make some of the best beer in the country, but we also want to make our country a little better along the way.” Monday Night asks customers to call them out if they don’t believe the brewery is following these tenants.
Monday Night has an extensive list of philanthropic efforts. Most of its work is in conjunction with Atlanta-based charities, but that could grow thanks to the company’s expansion.
Some organizations include Susan G. Komen for the Cure of Greater Atlanta, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta, and Atlanta Dog Rescue Cafe.
“We focus our community efforts on childhood education and development, specifically in the communities around our breweries that need the most support,” the Monday Night website attests. The brewery is also ready to help local schools that need a little financial support.
While schools are a priority, the business is also concerned with the community’s food needs. In November 2021, the company held Slapsgiving, a multi-industry Atlanta food donation drive. Monday Night Brewing helped to provide more than 30,000 meals across the greater Atlanta area.
Sustainability is another core tenant of the company. The brewery is involved in sustainable brewing programs, recycling campaigns, and local ingredient sourcing. As participants of the Brewers Association Sustainability Benchmarking program, data is shared with other brewpubs to develop the most efficient beer-making methods. All spent grain goes to local farmers as animal feed.
For recycling, the business donated to the Recycle for Good Program, an initiative of Habitat for Humanity and Novelis, a global recycling and sustainability consulting firm. Aluminum cans aid home-building projects for families in need.
“Aluminum is the most valuable material in our recycle bins and can be a sustainable source of funding for organizations like Habitat that can use the value of recycled aluminum to increase access to affordable housing,” said Ashley Gravlee, corporate social responsibility manager at Novelis.
In addition to these causes, Monday Night has other sustainability efforts, like using motion sensors in its facilities to save more money on energy costs. Full recycling programs operate at all five locations to properly dispose of waste. Whenever possible, Monday Night uses local ingredients to decrease reliance on freight, continuing to be as eco-friendly and socially responsible as it can.
