Drink for a Cause: Beverage Brands That Support Charity
Updated July 11, 2018
Drinking for a cause doesn't need to be an annual gala or rare occasion, there are hundreds of opportunities to put your money and mouth where your heart is every day! On February 12th, Dr Pepper Snapple Group (NYSE: DPS) announced it plans to achieve a U.S. beverage container recycling rate of 60 percent by 2030.
Quench your thirst and passion for the greater good with these beer, wine, coffee, spirit and other beverage brands that support charitable causes.
Soft Drinks
GIVN water donates a portion of sales to non profits that promote clean drinking water.
Beer
Heal the Bay IPA from Golden Road brewing supports beach cleanups and other efforts of local charity Heal the Bay to keep the Santa Monica Bay healthy and clean.
SweetWater Brewing's Waterkeeper Hefeweizen supports nearby Chattahoochee Riverkeeper in its mission to protect the river supplying the brewery's water.
A full dollar from every pour of 1876 ale (whether in the Beryl's Beer tap room or your favorite watering hole) goes straight to Denver Beer Olympics.
Coffee
TOMS (yes, the shoe company) helps you start your day with a warm cup of coffee from their TOMS Roasting Company purchase. As with their shoes, their coffee is also part of their One for One® tradition; just like your purchase of a shoe provides a pair to someone in need, so does your purchase of their beans (or other coffee related products). One TOMS Roasting Co. product purchase provides someone somewhere in need of clean drinking water with just that: vital, necessary water.
There are many other coffee companies that give back to charities and the communities they grow their beans in, so be sure to look for more (Three Avocados, the aptly-named Socially Conscious Coffee, City Centre Coffee, Grounds and Hounds, etc.). A simple way to ensure your coffee is also positively impacting the world, check to see if the company is Fair Trade and/or even a B Corp.
Spirits
Pronounced par-say, from the Columbian phrase meaning good friend, Parce Rum plants a tree to protect biodiversity and prevent deforestation in Colombia for every bottle purchased.
Cathead Distillery was the first legal distillery in Mississippi following prohibition. Their spirits support blues music through a variety of organizations.
Wine
Whether you purchase a bottle of wine or send one to a friend, here are some bottles that give more than a delightful flavor balance.
Chateau La Paws supports North Shore Animal League America by featuring rescue dogs on their labels, and by donating to the cause annually.
Gallo Family donates $1 to Meals on Wheels America for every cork or screw cap submitted by mail or text during their annual holiday drive, Every Cork Counts. Locate where to buy Gallow Wines, snap a picture of the Gallo Family cork or cap, and text “GALLO” to 811811. See reviews from Wine Review Online and Snooth.
A portion of all proceeds from ONEHOPE wines are donated to charitable organizations, which vary based on the wine. For example, for each bottle of Gold Glitter Edition Brut Sparkling Wine (also available in silver) ONEHOPE gives an equivalent donation of 15 meals to a child in need. The similarly festive Rainbow Glitter Edition Brut Sparkling Wine funds one hour of operational costs for The Trevor Project’s lifeline, which provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ youth (for every 4 bottles purchased). Check out the Wine Mag Buying Guide and Review Journal for reviews. Buy on Amazon: NV ONEHOPE California Glitter Edition Brut Sparkling Wine 750 mL.
Save Me San Francisco Wine Co. is a wine label of the popular the band Train. Band members decided to take their love of wine to the next level by partnering with Napa experts to produce fun song-themed wines such as Drops of Jupiter, Calling All Angels, Soul Sister, Hella Fineand more. Train donates proceeds to support Family House, a charity that provides temporary housing to families of seriously ill children receiving treatment at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital. Buy from TG Wines or or Amazon, and see reviews from Wine Scores and Wine.com.
Train isn’t the only musical talent getting into philanthropic wine adventures. Olivia Newton John established the Pink and Blue For Two Wine Program earlier this year in Japan. 20% of the net profits of sales are split between the Pink and Blue for Two breast and prostate cancer awareness campaign and the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre in Australia.
Similar to Save me San Francisco, Columbia Valley’s Purple Star Wines donates 15% of proceeds to Seattle Children’s Hospital to benefit uncompensated care, so families enduring overwhelming medical expenses for critically ill newborns and children can pay their bills. The Purple Star 2009 Columbia Valley won Seattle Mag’s Best Red Wines in 2012. Visit Purple Star’s site to locate a retailer or purchase direct, or order from Amazon.
Cultivate Wines invests 10% of all wine profits into Harvest Middle School in Napa Valley to support the Franklin Covey The Leader In Me Program. See wine reviews by Invino and Wine Mizer and shop online here.
For every bottle of Homefront Red sold, Murphy-Goode Winery donates 50 cents to Operation Homefront, a non-profit which helps military families in need. See Wine.com and The Good Wine Guru for reviews.
Nestled on Treasure Island, in the middle of San Francisco Bay, Bravium Winery lets consumers vote from a list of charities to determine the donation to each. Check out the current list of nonprofits here then browse reviews from The Cellar and Wine.com. Available for purchase on Bravium’s site or Amazon.
Oregon’s Duck Pond Cellars, a brand of Fries Family Wines, releases limited-edition wines to preserve Oregon’s natural greatness. For every bottle of Conservation Cuvee sold, $5 is donated to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's Conservation Program to help promote their mission of ensuring healthy habitats for fish, wildlife and people. See reviews on Vivino and purchase directly from Duck Pond’s online store.
Steelhead Vineyards is dedicated to the support and restoration of Steelhead trout habitats. 1% of Steelhead’s wine sales fund environmental projects such as Trout Unlimited. See reviews on Wine Enthusiast and Wine.com and buy from Steelhead directly.
Tackitt Family Vineyards has a line of Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) wines that are specially bottled to support the EOD Warrior Foundation. A portion of the proceeds of the purchase price go directly to the foundation - see all EOD wines here, and browse reviews from Wine Shopping and Vivino. You can purchase direct from Tackitt or from Amazon.
The Staglin Family vineyard has donated and raised more than $800 million (a portion from wine sales) to support charities that support scientific research to understand mental illness and promote brain health. Inspired by their son, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and including our main cause, the Staglin family established the One Mind Institute in 2008, and hosts an annual Music Festival for Brain Health. See reviews on K&L Wines and wine.com.
If you enjoy music festivals, Sonoma’s B.R. Cohn Winery also hosts a Charity Music Festival each fall to benefit local children and veteran charities as well larger national charity organizations.
A percentage of sales of each bottle of Middle Sister wines supports women and families in need. Check out their customizable labels for a beneficent gift, find it at your local Target, or purchase on Amazon.
Golfer Christie Kerr established her Curvature Wine label to match her love of wine with her passion for breast cancer prevention. See the Wine Spectator review and purchase Curvature Cabernet directly here.
John and Chris Mason, vintners of Emtu Estate Wines, use the profits from their wines to support charitable causes worldwide. Emtu’s relatively small production yields incredible impact through the ambitious philanthropic efforts of the Masons. Each winter they travel to work internationally and have participated in disaster relief and community development projects in places such as Kosovo, India, Pakistan, Cameroon, Peru, and Guatemala, Kyrgyzstan, Sumatra, and Haiti. Read more from Prince of Pinot and NorCal Wine.
Oregon’s Duck Pond Cellars, a brand of Fries Family Wines, releases limited-edition wines to preserve Oregon’s natural greatness. For every bottle of Conservation Cuvee sold, $5 is donated to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's Conservation Program to help promote their mission of ensuring healthy habitats for fish, wildlife and people. See reviews on Vivino and purchase directly from Duck Pond’s online store.
Steelhead Vineyards is dedicated to the support and restoration of Steelhead trout habitats. 1% of Steelhead’s wine sales fund environmental projects such as Trout Unlimited. See reviews on Wine Enthusiast and Wine.com and buy from Steelhead directly.
Tackitt Family Vineyards has a line of Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) wines that are specially bottled to support the EOD Warrior Foundation. A portion of the proceeds of the purchase price go directly to the foundation - see all EOD wines here, and browse reviews from Wine Shopping and Vivino. You can purchase direct from Tackitt or from Amazon:
The Staglin Family vineyard has donated and raised more than $800 million (a portion from wine sales) to support charities that support scientific research to understand mental illness and promote brain health. Inspired by their son, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and including our main cause, the Staglin family established the One Mind Institute in 2008, and hosts an annual Music Festival for Brain Health. See reviews on K&L Wines and wine.com.
If you enjoy music festivals, Sonoma’s B.R. Cohn Winery also hosts a Charity Music Festival each fall to benefit local children and veteran charities as well larger national charity organizations.
Photo: Middle Sister
A percentage of sales of each bottle of Middle Sister wines supports women and families in need. Check out their customizable labels for a beneficent gift, find it at your local Target, or purchase on Amazon:
Golfer Christie Kerr established her Curvature Wine label to match her love of wine with her passion for breast cancer prevention. See the Wine Spectator review and purchase Curvature Cabernet directly here.
John and Chris Mason, vintners of Emtu Estate Wines, use the profits from their wines to support charitable causes worldwide. Emtu’s relatively small production yields incredible impact through the ambitious philanthropic efforts of the Masons. Each winter they travel to work internationally and have participated in disaster relief and community development projects in places such as Kosovo, India, Pakistan, Cameroon, Peru, and Guatemala, Kyrgyzstan, Sumatra, and Haiti. Read more from Prince of Pinot and NorCal Wine.
