MiiR Chooses Generosity on Black Friday
MiiR will donate 100% of online and in-store sales to nonprofit partner Kula to complete the funding of their coffee washing station in Rwanda
Get access to everything we publish when you sign up for Outside+.
Seattle, WA (November 5, 2019) – MiiR, an award-winning Product to Project® company and certified B Corp, will join the likes of fellow outdoor companies REI and Patagonia and turn away from making a profit on Black Friday in an effort to encourage its customers to extend the season of gratitude through generosity. Instead, MiiR will donate 100% of online and in-store sales to nonprofit partner Kula.
Working largely with coffee farmers and rooted in a firm belief that it’s business – not charity – that will end poverty, Kula has purchased a coffee washing station as a way to loosen their dependence on donors and invest in more and more women in Rwanda. With $40,000, Kula will cross their fundraising finish line to be able to fully renovate their coffee washing station located in the Nyamasheke District of the Western Province. Well on their way to a model of sustainability, in two short years the station is expected to generate enough revenue to fund 50% of Kula’s budget.
“We couldn’t be more excited and grateful to work with MiiR this Black Friday,” said Nic Lauten, Executive Director of Programs at Kula. “These sales will go directly to renovating our coffee washing station in Rwanda so we can be fully ready for the upcoming harvest, ensuring that women will be paid well for their work, trained in their practices and supported in their businesses.”
Having recently partnered to support and bring awareness to Kula’s work, MiiR x Kula share a similar view of empowerment: it takes time, it’s difficult and it’s always worth it. This alignment came to be better understood upon visiting Kula in-country. On a ten day trip hosted by Kula staff, the MiiR team observed the emphasis Kula places on offering its fellows one-on-one mentorship as well as soliciting feedback from its fellows to ensure programs are appropriately designed – recognized by Kula as the two most important components to achieve the best possible outcome.
“MiiR continues to be an example of the immense good that business is capable of creating, and by partnering together, we hope to show [MiiR] customers the impact that can be had by purchasing with intention,” continued Lauten. “We’re thrilled to connect them with the stories of inspiring women coffee growers and their families in Rwanda. The more that business and philanthropy can merge in collaboration like this, the more the industry will see that it’s not just a novelty – it’s the way it should be done.”
Black Friday runs Friday, November 29th, 2019 from 12:00 AM PT to 11:59 PM PT online and regular business hours 7:00 AM PT to 7:00 PM PT in-store at MiiR Flagship, located at 3400 Stone Way North in Seattle.
About Kula
Kula eradicates poverty through the development of entrepreneurs in Rwanda. A 1% for the Planet nonprofit partner, Kula works alongside coffee farming communities in Rwanda to improve leadership, personal development and community support networks as well as business development to empower its fellows to build profitable businesses, combat climate change, raise healthy families and send their children to school. Through these efforts, Kula is able to strengthen the personal empowerment of and entrepreneurship opportunities for Rwandan coffee farmers and artisans, and ultimately support individuals, households and communities to invest in their own sustainable futures. https://www.kulaproject.org/
About MiiR
MiiR is a premium drinkware company with a social and environmental mission. A certified B Corp and 1% for the Planet member that is independently owned and operated, MiiR chooses people and planet over the demands of Wall Street. Based in Seattle, Washington, its Product to Project® model means every MiiR product sold helps fund trackable giving projects. To date, MiiR has given over $1,000,000 and empowered the lives of 115,000+ people worldwide, and its customers are invited to experience the story behind their purchase by registering the Give Code™ found on the base of their MiiR product.
Contact
Please direct MiiR media inquiries to pr@miir.com.
