What began as a business venture initiated by an ambitious group of 20-somethings operating in a Manhattan Beach storage unit and backed by a modest $10,000 has evolved into a cause-centric lifestyle brand with a world-class vineyard, a Napa-based winery underway and a partnership with the award-winning Mondavi family.
Founded in 2007, ONEHOPE merges its company’s success with making a greater social impact. With more than $1.5 million donated to their nonprofit partners collectively, ONEHOPE has successfully integrated giving back into the foundation of its business model.
For every bottle of wine sold, ONEHOPE donates 50% of the proceeds to causes such as ending childhood hunger, saving our planet, the fight against breast cancer, supporting our troops, funding pet adoptions, the fight against AIDS, helping children with autism, ending world poverty, clean water and curing heart disease. With a wide range of varietals, each bottle of wine is paired with one of these causes, giving the consumer an opportunity to see their purchase quantified by the social impact it makes.
For example, every purchase of ONEHOPE’s El Dorado Rose contributes to the prevention of ovarian cancer. The California merlot you may be enjoying with dinner aids in the fight against global disease. If you’re an animal lover, opt for ONEHOPE’s pinot noir; each bottle sold helps support a pet adoption.
With a clear understanding of how their money is being put to work, consumers are given a firsthand look at how their purchases make an impact. There is zero ambiguity when it comes to how ONEHOPE appropriates their funds. It’s a clever but simple concept. The wines, however, are anything but.
More than 100 medals have been awarded to the collection as a whole. After beginning their partnership with award-winning winemaker Robert Mondavi, Jr. in 2009, ONEHOPE has received multiple 90+-point ratings.
The company’s CEO and cofounder, Jake Kloberdanz, recently gained attention as one of Wine Enthusiast magazine’s Top 40 Under 40 Tastemakers. Additionally, INC. 500/5000 named ONEHOPE as one of the top 1,000 fastest growing private companies in America. In 2012 the brand was named EMPACT100’s Social Business of the Year.
With accolades like this, backed by a socially responsible business model, it’s easy to see what inspired Terranea to partner with ONEHOPE. A relationship that initially began while both businesses were in their infant stages has since blossomed into a successful pairing of two community-based, socially conscious entities.
All of ONEHOPE’s varietals are served in the restaurants throughout the resort, as well as during private and corporate events. ONEHOPE additionally participates in Terranea’s Celebration of Food and Wine and the resort’s annual Earth Day celebration, where ONEHOPE offers a wine tasting overlooking the stunning ocean views atop the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
But perhaps the most impactful participation the resort has with the brand is through Terranea’s decision to offer ONEHOPE’s sparkling wine as their “house Champagne”—a small step that makes a huge difference. Every case of ONEHOPE sparkling wine sold translates into 25 meals to children in need through the World Food Program. To put this in perspective, Terranea goes through more than 120 cases a month, totaling more than 3,000 meals to children in need.
Through this partnership, both Terranea and ONEHOPE are able to give back in a very real way. To date, ONEHOPE has provided more than 1 million meals to end hunger—a number that Terranea’s guests have greatly contributed to over the years. In addition, ONEHOPE has funded more than 6,000 pet adoptions, planted more than 40,000 trees and provided ABA therapy for more than 1,000 children with autism.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg. For a full list of how much ONEHOPE has donated to its supported causes, as well as the relationship each wine has with each cause, head to onehopewine.com.
Having discovered a formula that has proven equally beneficial for both the brand’s expansion and the causes it supports, ONEHOPE has started working with other companies through the SIAS (Social Impact As a Service) program. The program helps businesses intergrade social service into their core. Through the brand’s social impact and the development of programs such as this created to encourage other business to intergrade socially responsible methodologies, ONEHOPE is on the path to becoming a leader in cause-centric commerce.
In fact, the future of the brand is already looking bright with the expansion of ONEHOPE’s coffee goods, gift sets, viaONEHOPE, the ONEHOPE Foundation, and the winery and tasting room underway in Napa Valley. Through its constant evolution and ability to reinvent itself, ONEHOPE has managed to stay ahead of the curve, with visions of transforming consumer-driven business becoming less of a dream and more of a reality. Their partnership with Terranea endures as the duo continues to make an impact one sip at a time.
For more on ONEHOPE, their wines and their charitable mission, visit onehopewine.com.
Written by Amber Klinck
