How Breweries are driving change in local communities
Giving back and having a cause behind your business or establishment isn’t a new concept, however, there is more buzz than ever lately when it comes to beverage creators joining in and standing up for a social or economic issue. Why are more and more community members jumping on the wagon and what does it mean for those that do vs those that would rather not align with a cause and instead play it safe?
Branding whether it’s on glass or signage on the front of your establishment is about something bigger than the name, it’s about what you stand for at the very core of your business. That experience or feeling is what people buy.
When you can align your business, authentically, with a certain cause or movement, it creates more buzz in the community and ultimately more people want to be a part of it and thus allowing you to sell more of your craft.
“What’s good for the cause is good for the business” Kaiden, founder of The Much Love Initiative in Rochester, NY, and sales manager at Embark Ciderworks says, “It’s good for the breweries, community and it’s selflessly good for marketing.
Embark Ciderworks created a new cider in honor of the Much Love Initiative and raised funds for Kaiden and his cause.
Kaiden said, “We are able to get people to contribute to a good cause and help others while bringing more awareness to the Brewery or Cidery. We sold out of our new cider and already went through a whole pallet in a very short amount of time.”
Kaiden started The Much Love Initiatives after his father suffered from mental health issues and recently passed on.
“My dad was fighting a fight nobody ever knew about,” Kadien said. “Why not try to get something out there to raise money and awareness? We want to remind people that it is OK not to feel OK. We want everyone to feel valued.” You can read the full story here.
He said, “Having a cause behind or aligned with a business creates a deep level of connection with our patrons and local communities.”
“The best part is people give as little or as much as they can, it’s more about coming together to help those in times of need. The glass we had printed for the event has my father’s handwriting on it making it feel as though he is always close by.”
Much Love Initiative Hand Written Logo on 11.5oz concerto
Other Initiatives across the states have been started as well. Maybe you’ve heard of Other Half’s “All Together.” It’s an open-source recipe created and offered to all breweries to develop a riff on the recipe utilizing the same name. Sales of each individual brewery’s iteration benefitted out-of-work hospitality workers.
Or even, Black is Beautiful. It’s an Initiative developed by Weathered Souls Brewing to benefit police brutality reform and equality works. Breweries developed a stout with various adjuncts to sell under the “Black is Beautiful” label with all proceeds going to a local foundation.
We asked Kaiden when it comes to starting your own Initiatives as a brewery or winery what does it come down to?
He said, “Passion. Stick with what you’re passionate about. I feel deeply motivated to be a part of creating change in our local communities.”
It’s clearly evident not only is aligning with a cause important to our local communities, but it also helps grow awareness, loyalty and patronage for all of those involved.
To donate or hear more about The Much Love Initiatives you can go here.
Visit our other blog post, on How to create more sales during slow times.
Disclaimer: Dejabrew is not currently affiliated with any of these causes mentioned.
