The Liberty Bottleworks Review
Liberty Bottleworks is all about America. They really love this country a lot, pride seems to exude into every facet of the company. But the love of this country is not only about the idea of the eponymous dream. It is about the physical reality: the land and the people. Through an unassuming product, the basic bottle, Liberty is doing their part to help demonstrate how successful an ethical business can be.
50+ jobs for American workers. Liberty Bottleworks believe that making their products in America is not only a duty but an honor. Americans make the bottles in America, and hiring preference is given to those who have served the country.
Taking Care of Business
Hiring American workers for their US-made bottles has been the standard since they first opened in 2010. Liberty now employs over fifty workers, one third of which are Veterans. They also support on-shore fair trade. Co-founder Ryan Clark went to bat for his employees, on the very public Facebook back in 2013, citing “family first, product second”. You can see the full response from Clark to an irate customer here, but this is definitely my favorite part:
“…we pride ourselves on doing things well, we pride ourselves on doing things right, we pride ourselves on doing things the American way. Not instant gratification, 24 hours shopping on Thanksgiving type of American way but, family and country type of American way. The way our grandparents did things type of American way…I’m not sorry our employees were enjoying the holidays. That right is not exclusive to you…If I do not get back with you right away understand I may be eating dinner with my wife and kids.”
The Hardship of Living in Washington
As a resident of Washington State myself, home of Liberty Bottleworks and the most beautiful forests I’ve ever seen, I understand the need – nay, the drive – to protect the land here. From their Vacuum Recovery Units and Infrared Energy to their water filtration and recycling programs, Liberty has achieved near-zero-waste production. This means less waste is polluting the land. They also create their product using recycled aluminum, so there are fewer virgin materials utilized as well.
Liberty makes their bottles with only recyclable materials, using US Sourced 3003 recyclable aluminum coils. They implement and continuously develop new processes in design and fabrication that will make their products last longer and produce less waste.
Getting One Product Just Right
Wandering through REI with a gift card one day, I miraculously stumbled upon the perfect water bottle – a product I had been searching for, for years. This bottle was made locally, a great size, high-quality construction, of recycled materials, the list goes on and on. The cherries on top though are the remarkable relief map of Mt. Rainier (a meaningful place for me) and the lid with built-in compass. I fell instantly in love, and I’ve consumed several liters per day from it since.
Full disclosure: I have dropped it a few times, from significant heights, onto concrete. I do have a small dent that is showing some rust (I think). While I wouldn’t be surprised if this damage is covered under their warranty, I have never tried to find out since the taste is unaffected…and I just love it too much to switch!
LIberty uses a state of the art printing process and Delorme’s best in class cartography to create topographic map bottles (which can be paired with Navi-Caps). This line of bottles features some of the most notable spots in the country. Find more designs here.
The Down Side
The dilemma I face now is in figuring out more uses for them. There are a plethora of designs available on the website, certainly enough to suit anyone’s tastes. Struggling artists have produced a few, designers have illustrated others for specific causes. Plus, Liberty is now offering a custom option for just a few dollars more. Knowing I can put any image I want on my bottle is leaving me spoiled for choice and impatient for more!
If you’re in the process of cutting plastic (or just disposable content in general), out of your life, then I can absolutely recommend this bottle. Or several. I’m looking at mine right now. It’s not pretzels, but it is making me thirsty.
