Op-Ed: Vermont’s economy demands climate action

May 2, 2025  |  By Jen Kimmich 

My husband and I have always considered ourselves environmentalists, but prior to August 28, 2011, we didn’t understand quite how vulnerable our small business was to climate change. 

Our efforts to address climate change and the drastic weather that it creates began after we lost our original Waterbury brewpub to Tropical Storm Irene in 2011. Flooding from that storm devastated our small business, and permanently changed our lives and perspective. We did not realize it fully until then, but the future of our Vermont business, and many others, depends on effective and meaningful climate action.

In that storm, we lost all of our inventory, we lost all of our equipment, we lost much of our building, and we lost our only source of revenue – our restaurant. Following the devastation of the flood, we were hopeful – we had flood insurance, after all. But after several weeks of the dirtiest and toughest clean-up work you can imagine, we were informed that nothing below street level would be covered by insurance. Further, we found out that only about 30% of our losses would be covered. We found out the hard way that most insurance policies have fine print regarding floods (even when you have “flood” insurance).

These financial blows were crushing – our loss exceeded $500,000. But then we encountered barriers to rebuilding our business that went beyond replacing what we’d lost. 

Our building was in the flood zone, and we discovered we could no longer have any new underground construction where our basement brewery had been located. Our bank would not finance it, and our insurance company would not insure it. No basement construction, no bank loan, no insurance…No brewery, no brewpub. 

People have asked me, what would it have cost you to reopen the pub? As though it was a choice not to reopen. And to that I say, “There is no amount that would have allowed us to reopen. The door closed on our pub with that storm.” I understand the logic used by the bankers and the insurers – they were avoiding risk. But as a state, we are not doing enough to fend off the risks of climate disaster.

The Alchemist was very lucky as a company. Prior to Tropical Storm Irene, we had started building out our new, small production facility up the road. Ironically, the day after our brew pub was destroyed, our first cans of Heady Topper rolled off our new canning line. This is what ultimately saved our company – a lot of good luck and good timing. Because frankly, if we had not had that new brewery up and running, we would have run out of money and hit a wall. And that is the cost of climate disaster to small businesses – sudden, devastating, financially ruinous.

Heady Topper comes off the canning line at The Alchemist Brewery. Photo by Shane Rumrill

Severe storms and flooding all too easily kill the small businesses that give our state and our main streets so much character. If it were not for our new business venture at the time, there would be no Alchemist today. Just like all of the independent cafes, bookstores, retail shops and restaurants Vermont has lost to flooding these past two years, The Alchemist would be something of the past. If we want to protect our small businesses and employers, we need to work together to take collective steps on climate action. No business can solve these issues alone.

Today, after 22 years of business, drastic weather caused by climate change is still the biggest threat to our business. The three main ingredients in our beer – clean water, hops, and malt – are all threatened by climate change. Between wildfires that impact hops, and droughts in the UK that devastate our malt growers, we understand how much our business, and most businesses, rely on a healthy environment.

I agree with Gov. Scott’s frequent saying – we need to keep finding ways to make Vermont more affordable. And, we need to stay committed to a comprehensive climate action plan that works for all Vermonters. 

We need to make smart investments, and we need to support pragmatic legislation that will help build a cleaner and more sustainable Vermont. 

We need to make proactive investments today that will protect us and save us money in the future. Investments in flood and storm mitigation will only get more expensive in the years ahead; the time for action is now. 

Our company, The Alchemist, depends on swift and strategic climate action, but so does the future of our entire economy and the health of Vermont.

Jen Kimmich is co-founder and CEO of The Alchemist Brewery, based in Waterbury and Stowe.