Stone Brewing Co., Escondido, Calif., announced the release of “The Alchemist/Ninkasi/Stone More Brown than Black IPA.” The beer is the fifth collaboration beer released by Stone and various partners in 2011.
The system of The Coca-Cola Co., Atlanta, has committed more than U.S. $2 million to “Reunite to Relieve and Rebuild Thailand,” a sustainable flood relief initiative designed to provide emergency relief and rebuilding efforts to help victims of the floods in Thailand.
Anheuser-Busch (AB), St. Louis, and its wholesalers in the state donated $45,000 to help employees of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department whose homes were damaged or destroyed by the wildfires in the state. More than 34,000 acres and 1,500 homes were consumed by the fires, including 98 percent of Bastrop State Park and 22 homes of Texas Park and Wildlife employees. Many more parks employees sustained significant damage to their properties.
J.J. Taylor Distributing Florida Inc., Tampa, Fla., donated $20 million in beer excise taxes to Step Up For Students, a non-profit organization that provides scholarships to underprivileged kindergarten through high school students in Florida.
The American Beverage Association (ABA), Washington, D.C., reinforced the positive effect its members in the non-alcohol beverage industry have on the country. The association noted the industry’s support in charitable causes in communities across the nation that total more than $1.9 billion, it said.
Hawaii-based premium natural water company Hawaiian Springs LLC announced its bottles will bear the emblem for Preserving Paradise, the conservation initiative the company launched this spring.
Starbucks Coffee Co., Seattle, introduced a new community model in the neighborhoods of Harlem, N.Y., and Crenshaw, Calif., where community organizations will share in the profits of a store in each community. Starbucks will donate a minimum of $100,000 to a local community organization for the first year of the partnership as it assesses the success of the program and gathers learning in hopes of creating a new type of corporate engagement in communities, the company says.
The Boston Beer Co. expanded its philanthropic initiative Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream to Chicagoland food, beverage and hospitality small-business owners. The Chicago expansion of the program, which provides access to loans for small businesses, is in partnership with Accion Chicago, a member of the Accion U.S. Network.
As a hip-hop artist and actor, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson is no stranger to collaborations. However, Jackson’s latest collaboration does not involve celebrities, but Pure Growth Partners, a New York City-based company that conceives and markets consumer brands with a philanthropic component.