We recently had the opportunity to participate with a collaboration brew between Bottleshare and Second Self Brewing Company in Atlanta, GA. For those who are not familiar with the work they do, hopefully this post will shed some light. Bottleshare was established in 2020 by Christopher Glenn. It began the same way as many non-profit organizations, with a tragedy. Christopher was hit by a drunk driver while driving home from his job closing the tasting room at a local craft brewery in Georgia in 2018. He suffered a traumatic brain injury that he still suffers from to this day. When I first me Christopher, I was inspired by the courage that it took to not only come out of that experience but to use it to help others in the same way that someone stepped in to help him. I admire the decision he made in the middle of his own recovery that would not stop him from coming up with a concept that epitomizes paying it forward. Thus, Bottleshare was born.
HOW DID AFP ASEPTIC FRUIT PUREES GET INVOLVED?
I was sitting at my desk on an ordinary day fielding emails and taking phone calls. I was in contact with Second Self about some ongoing business when the email that would ultimately lead to our involvement came through. They asked if we would be interested in donating some fruit puree. Coming from the Atlanta beer scene, I was familiar with the non-profit but at a distance. It was not until meeting Christopher and hearing his story firsthand that we realized what an impact this could have on the community that we love so much. After that initial meeting we were asked if we wanted to come to the brewery on the day that the fruit was added to the tank. This gave us a chance to go and check out Second Self and talk to some of the people that “make it happen”. Little did I know that one of the brewers that helped make this collaboration beer happen was in fact a recipient of one of their grants bringing the whole thing full circle. It was not until I attended the release of “Totally TWObular” that I realized the significance of the name. It wasn’t until spending some time at the event talking with Christopher and Dustin and getting to know them and their stories did I realize that we could do a lot more than just donate fruit puree. Everyone involved in Bottleshare is a volunteer, which is amazing. However, it presents some obstacles. They cannot simply go out pounding the pavement letting people know that this organization exists. They need everyone in the community to help advocate for them and that is why we got involved.
HOW CAN YOU HELP AND WHO IS AFFECTED?
Bottleshare is the craft beverage industry’s first fund raising and fund distribution 501c3 non-profit organization. If you have no idea what that means, then you were a lot like I was. Let me bring you up to speed. First and foremost, 100% of your donations go to fund the grants to be distributed to the recipients. In a nutshell, all your money goes to people who need it. Also, it is tax deductible donation in most cases. It is a win-win for everyone! All the ingredients in each collaboration brew are donated so that means that 100 % of the beer sales are going to the recipients. Pretty rad!
The company’s mission statement says it all:
“At Bottleshare, our mission is to support industry workers and businesses when they experience adversity and hardship. At any moment, a member of our craft beverage community can come face-to-face with a situation that prevents them from continuing to work, placing an undue financial burden upon them and their family.”
If you can help, there are several ways to do so. The first would be to go out and buy the collaboration beers that Bottleshare is putting out all over the country like the one we did with Second Self X Bottleshare “Totally TWObular.” Because again, 100% of the beer sales goes to the people who need it. Second, you can join the Bottleshare Collective more information here.