KAILUA-KONA, HI, Dec. 13, 2010 -- Kona Brewing Company and San Diego Coastkeeper have announced the two will partner on a number of clean water programs and events for 2011. Kona Brewing is Hawaii's largest brewer and San Diego Coastkeeper is the city's largest professional environmental organization working to protect inland and coastal waters along the Pacific Ocean through education, community empowerment and advocacy.
The partnership was made official in late November 2010 and Kona Brewing will provide monetary support to fund ongoing Coastkeeper programs and beach cleanups, as well as beer for various Coastkeeper events. Clean water supporters around San Diego can expect to sample Kona's Liquid Aloha at Coastkeeper's annual Ocean Gala event in April 2011, at numerous membership events and at celebrations after beach cleanups at places such as Oceanside, Encinitas, La Jolla, Pacific Beach and Ocean Beach. Beer lovers will also see San Diego Coastkeeper an integral part of Liquid Aloha Festival, the brewer's annual music event in Southern California.
Kona Brewing supports a number of environmental causes, and in November was bestowed a community appreciation award from Kona Outdoor Circle, an organization that strives to keep Hawaii green and clean. "Like Kona Brewing, Coastkeeper has a staff full of surfers, stand up paddlers, kayakers, swimmers and sailors who live in and within a few yards of water," said Kona Brewing Company president and CEO Mattson Davis. "As we do our part individually to protect water for everyone to enjoy today and in the future between our home on the Big Island Hawaii and San Diego, it's logical that by partnering, we can accomplish that much more. Cheers and hipahipa to our new clean water partner across the sea!"
Interim executive director of San Diego Coastkeeper Gabriel Solmer said, "Kona Brewing's values closely align with our own -- both in business and personal passions. This partnership is important because we want to build relationships with sustainable companies that invest in our environment."
In 2010, Kona Brewing Company has continued to invest deeply in environmental stewardship, including installation of a solar photovoltaic energy generating system at the Kailua-Kona brewery and pub on Hawaii's Big Island, an innovative lightweight bottle that saves almost 4,000 tons of carbon emissions per year and the launch of Hawaii's first organic beer: Oceanic Organic Saison.
Kona Brewing Company was started in the spring of 1994 by a father and son team that had a dream to create fresh, local island brews made with spirit, passion and quality. It is a Hawaii-born and Hawaii-based craft brewery that prides itself on brewing the freshest beer of exceptional quality, closest to market. This helps to minimize its carbon footprint by reducing shipping of raw materials, finished beer and wasteful packaging materials. Recently Kona announced the installation of a 229 kW solar energy generating system at its Kailua-Kona brewery and pub on Hawaii's Big Island. The brewery is headquartered where it began, in Kailua-Kona on Hawaii's Big Island. It has grown into Hawaii's largest brewery, has three restaurant sites in Hawaii and beer distribution reaching 28 states and Japan. The brewery was named the fastest growing top-50 craft brewing company in the country based on 2008 sales figures. It posted 19.8 percent year over year growth in 2009. For more information call 808-334-BREW or visit www.KonaBrewingCo.com
Founded in 1995, San Diego Coastkeeper protects the region's inland and coastal waters for the communities and wildlife that depend on them by blending education, community empowerment and advocacy. For more information, visit San Diego Coastkeeper's website at www.sdcoastkeeper.org
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