Anheuser-Busch’s Cerveza Patagonia launches into markets across the U.S. with two initiatives aimed at revitalizing America’s national forests.
Wes Swaffar likes trees a lot. A former U.S. Forest Service wilderness ranger, Swaffar now serves as the National Forest Foundation’s (NFF) director of reforestation and partnerships. And he leads the NFF’s charge to plant 50 million trees in America’s national forests.
Now, that lofty goal also earned Swaffar a unique honor — he’s the first recipient of the Cerveza Patagonia’s #Cervezas4YourService award. Now hitting shelves in 13 states from the Southeast to the Rockies and Pacific Northwest, Cerveza Patagonia launches two social media campaigns to reward stewardship work big and small.
First, people can tag a “hero” with #Cervesas4YourService to “recognize and reward the hard work, selflessness, and sacrifice of public land rangers in the U.S., regardless of the uniform they wear, or environment they protect,” according to the brand. In recognition of his work with the NFF, Cerveza Patagonia rewarded Swaffar with a trip to Patagonia.
As part of the campaign, Cerveza Patagonia will continue to reward others who stand out for their conservation work through the end of 2019.
But while the brand plans to offer rewards to those doing big work, it also wants to engage the general public. So users can also tag themselves and friends with #HugATree and a picture of — you guessed it — hugging a tree. For every tagged picture, Cerveza Patagonia will donate $1, the cost to plant a tree, to the NFF.
Additionally, the brand will also plant a tree for every case of beer sold. Both campaigns run until the end of the year.
Cerveza Patagonia Hits US Market
Earlier this year, Anheuser-Busch soft-launched Cerveza Patagonia in two pilot markets in Colorado. Perhaps not surprisingly, the St. Louis-based brewer found itself on the receiving end of a lawsuit by the Patagonia clothing brand. As it happens, Patagonia Provisions, an offshoot of the apparel brand, markets its own beer under the Patagonia name.
While that lawsuit remains in court, Cerveza Patagonia issued the following statement:
“Our Patagonia beer was first brewed more than 10 years ago in Argentina, and was later brought to the U.S. in 2012. True to its heritage, Patagonia offers consumers a great-tasting beer and a purpose-driven mission: every case sold helps to plant a tree. We would prefer to focus our attention on brewing our beer and our tree-planting mission, rather than a meritless lawsuit, but we stand behind our brand and will continue to vigorously defend our trademark rights.”
Following the successful pilot launch, Cerveza Patagonia now retails in 13 states: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming.
