John Kluge
Founder & CEO
TMC Board Member
John Kluge is the Founder and CEO of Thistlerock Mead Company, a nature-first social venture that revives ancient honey wine fermentation while advancing regenerative agriculture to protect pollinators and native ecosystems. The company supports veteran, women, and refugee beekeepers in Virginia and emerging markets worldwide, blending craft, conservation, and community impact. Raised on his parents’ vineyard and inspired by family stories of the Iraq Beer Company, John leads Thistlerock’s strategy, brand and product development, and impact-driven partnerships—delivering a modern mead brand with purpose at its core.
A three-time social entrepreneur and impact investor, John previously founded the Refugee Investment Network (RIN), the world’s first impact investing collaborative dedicated to long-term solutions
for forced migration, where he pioneered “refugee lens” investing through
global strategy and partnerships. He serves as an Advisor to the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream, as Director for James Madison’s Montpelier, and as Director of Norwegian Refugee Council USA. A former Babson College trustee who championed ESG and DEI investment frameworks, John holds a B.A.
from Columbia University, an MBA from Babson College, and a Certificate in Blended Finance from the University of Zurich.
John co-authored Banking on Belonging: Why Investing In Refugees Benefits Everyone (Columbia University Press, 2026), Charity
& Philanthropy for Dummies (Wiley, 2013), authored John Kluge:
Stories (Columbia University Press, 2008), and has written on business and social impact for Forbes and Conscious Company Magazine. When
not scaling mission-driven ventures, he is most at home exploring the world
with his wife Christine Mahoney, daughter Mirren, and dog Cloud—or throwing heavy objects in a kilt.
John Kluge
Co-founder and CEO
A three-time social entrepreneur, John leads our impact-driven partnerships with communities and beekeepers in Virginia and around the world. Growing up on his parents’ vineyard – and steeped from a young age in stories of his uncle’s adventures with the Iraq Beer Company – foretold John’s future in the mead industry. In addition to moonlighting as a writer and amateur photographer, John serves on the boards of directors of several high-impact, mission-driven organizations. But John is most content exploring the world with his wife Christine Mahoney, daughter Mirren, and their canine companions, Cloud and Thor – or throwing heavy things while wearing a kilt.
