Pay it forward

Taking a cue from nature, we take only what we need from the company, and the rest we give back to our community and environment. For us, this is just common sense. One of the first decisions we made was to join the 1% for the Planet community where every business commits each year, to give 1% of their annual sales directly to vetted environmental partners, and then to provide receipts of these gifts to 1% for the Planet which independently verifies those gifts. It’s so inspiring for us to be part of a growing movement of companies that realize they can have a profound impact on the world when their purpose is more than just quarterly earnings. 

For us though, we felt like the planet deserves more than just 1% of our take. Our Board unanimously decided that as a company, we will reinvests 50% of pre-tax profits into the communities and ecosystems we source from, directly supporting conservation, biodiversity preservation, and nature-based livelihoods.

Lastly, we acknowledge that our economic systems are far from perfect to say the least, as our industries–like winemaking–that historically exclude underrepresented communities or that as defaults offer limited opportunities for upward mobility or ownership. This will not change unless we overthrow the status quo. And that requires intentionality, partnership, and doing hard work. To this end, we are charting a course to become an employee-owned company, learning from resources like Employee Owned Certified. We are also actively supporting and participating in efforts to make the beverage industry more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. We owe a great deal of gratitude and respect to those who are leading the way like the Veraison Project and our colleagues at Blenheim Vineyard here in Charlottesville.