When a company says its number one goal is to create 5 million new environmentalists in the next decade, it's hard not to pay attention. Especially, when the said company sells alcohol. Imagine if drinking wine could make the world a better place. Well, you don’t have to because Proud Pour is making this a reality.
Proud Pour is a sustainable winery that “cheers to change.” Partnering with over 20 nonprofits across the U.S., Proud Pour is dedicated to funding environmental restoration projects. The startup donates 13% of its top-line revenue to environmental projects. For instance, their 2014 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, called Save the Bees, replants wildflowers on local farms. Their second wine, a Mendocino County Sauvignon Blanc, Save the Oceans, restores oyster habitats by returning 100 oysters back to the wild.
Berlin Kelly founded Proud Pour in 2015. After moving to New York and exploring the drinking scene in the city, she learned about the centuries-long oyster reef destruction in New York harbor. CEO Brian Thurber joined the company in January 2015 and together they started selling wine.
But what makes wine sustainable?
It all comes down to certification. The Oregon grown pinot noir has two gold standard certifications: LIVE certification and salmon safe. In California, the Sauvignon Blanc is mostly grown from organic grapes being California sustainable certified and fish friendly certified. One of the long term goals of the company, however, “is to change the way grapes are grown,” said Brian Thurber, CEO of Proud Pour, “to have the kind of market power where we can say to farmers if you grow using these very aggressive sustainable practices we’ll buy those grapes to help shape the industry itself.”
For those of you who aren’t wine connoisseurs, Proud Pour is expanding into cider and beer. In 2019, the company started a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for their new beverage, Cider for Sea Turtles. The apples are sustainably grown and sourced from the Connecticut River Valley. Instead of glass, which have higher carbon emissions, the cider will be packaged in recyclable cans. Of their $43,500 goal, Proud Pour has raised $44,896. The drink is expected to be released in July.
In this era of climate change, it seems like a new animal enters the endangered species list every day. With a multitude of environments to support, how does Proud Pour determine their drink’s mascots? “It's important to pick something that both inspires people but also really matters,” said Thurber, “So sea turtles, everyone loves them. They're beautiful creatures. And also, they play a really important role in the ocean ecosystem. They control the population of jellyfish and sponges by feeding on them. They help stimulate the growth of seagrass ecosystems when they feed on the grass.”
Sustainability, however, comes with a higher price tag. Proud Pour combats raising prices for consumers by not marketing their wines. “Our fans would rather have us give money to the environment than to ad agencies,” said Thurber.
Choosing not to market comes with its challenges, as it's hard to carve one's niche within the $250 billion alcoholic beverage industry. By targeting millennials via word of mouth and social media, Thurber believes Proud Pour can carve out space in the industry because millennials are “a generation that’s more interested in where they choose to spend their money reflecting their values.”
Proud Pour is part of the 2019 MassChallenge Accelerator Program. In terms of goals the company would like to accomplish during their time in the program, Thurber said, “they’re in draft form.”
The number one goal for the company, however, “is to create 5 million new environmentalists in the next decade,” Thurber said.
