New Jersey-based TerraCycle announced it has refurbished Kendall-Jackson wine oak barrels into Rotary Composter and Rain Barrell water storage containers. The containers are made from French or American oak and will be used to turn grass clippings, leaves and other yard waste into garden fertilizer. By using the wine barrels for recycling purposes, the company is keeping with the move toward sustainability, it says. The barrels are natural alternatives to plastic rainwater storage systems currently on the market.

 

Miller Brewing Co. and the Dallas Cowboys announced a 12-year extension to their partnership. That secures Miller Lite’s sponsorship rights with the football team through the 2020 season. The details of the deal include beer category exclusivity with the team; TV, radio and print advertising through the team’s media partnerships; and the use of the Cowboys’ team logo and other marks on packaging and point-of-sale. Miller’s sponsorship rights with the Cowboys cover the state of Texas, with the exception of the Houston area, the company says.

 

Hacienda La Esmeralda, located in Boquete, Panama, staged one of the coffee world’s first estate auctions in May, where its entire 2008 supply of Ethiopian coffee (3,000 pounds) was sold and brought in $500,000. This is the first time a private-family auction was staged online in the Western hemisphere, the company says. Last year, a supply of Esmeralda was auctioned online for $130 per pound at the Best of Panama auction, which the estate has won every year since 2004.

 

 
In May, Maker’s Mark Distillery, Loretto, Ky., opened a café on a former tollhouse site. With the name “Toll Gate Café,” the restaurant seats 15 people and an additional 25 people outside on the patio. The restaurant features mostly Kentucky products, including bourbon-inspired foods with seasonal sandwiches, salads, desserts and beverages. The site is decorated with old photos of the areas and replicas of old signs at the tollhouse.

Jim Beam awarded Ryan Cooledge of Surprise, Ariz., and three guests the opportunity to do “double-duty” as winners of the Jim Beam 1100. Cooledge and his guests attended the Indianapolis 500 and a 600-mile NASCAR race in Charlotte, N.C., on the same day. He also was given a high-speed ride around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as well as a ride in the pace car. After the Indy 500, Cooledge flew in a private helicopter to Charlotte and was then driven to the race in the Jim Beam NASCAR street-legal two-seater.

 

The Dundee Brewing Co., Rochester, N.Y., launched its Dundee “Save the Honey Bee Program,” designed to bring attention to the plight of honey bees and support research efforts to eradicate Colony Collapse Disorder. The company says that every Dundee beer sold in 2008 in the United States, will be donated to the Foundation for the Preservation of Honey Bees. On-premise support items, including t-shirts, temporary tattoos, coasters, posters and table tents, were created to call attention to the issue.