CLEAN Cause, the sparkling Yerba Maté beverage company founded in Austin, announced today that Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Ben Haggerty, better known as “Macklemore,” will serve as the brand’s first Creative Director and celebrity investor.
CLEAN Cause, a beverage brand dedicated to helping individuals in recovery, has partnered up with Macklemore, who has long been a proponent of the power of recovery and has been candid about his personal struggles with substance abuse. CLEAN Cause, the runner-up in the yerba maté category, donates half of its net profits (or 5% of net revenues, whichever is greater) to sober living scholarships.
Macklemore will serve as Creative Director and investor for the Brand, giving artistic direction on a new limited edition CLEAN Cause can, digital editorial content, and music and creative direction for the Brand. Macklemore and CLEAN Cause will run a number of promotions over the next year, including a “Scan the Can” programme that will provide consumers with exclusive material via QR code on the product and POS.
“I chose to align with and endorse a Brand that is at the forefront of creating awareness for addiction and actively supporting the recovery community,” said Ben Haggerty. “As Creative Director and a new investor of the already impactful brand, I am excited to combine my creative passions with a great product in an effort to save lives. Together, our goal is to inspire and educate individuals on addiction and support those who are in recovery.”
At a time when overdoses and substance abuse are widespread because of the COVID pandemic, this collaboration is especially meaningful. The American Medical Association reports that all states in the U.S. have seen more deaths from overdoses as well as other issues as a result of the COVID pandemic. According to interim information from CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, there were approximately 100,306 deaths from drug overdoses in the U.S. from May 2020 through April 2021. This was a 28,5% increase over the 78,056 deaths from the year before. Opiod deaths for the year ending in April 2021 were 75,673, which increased from 56,064 from the prior year. Currently, the daily death toll from drug overdoses stands at more than 275 Americans.
Wes Hurt, a serial entrepreneur, father, and activist, launched CLEAN Cause. Hurt is a recovering alcoholic and drug abuser who is using his passion for business, as well as his personal story, to help communities and individuals around the United States. Hurt, a caffeine addict, devised a product that he believed would meet a need in his daily life: a delicious organic sparkling yerba maté with low sugar and 160mg of naturally sourced caffeine per can.
“We are grateful to be able to partner with one of the most iconic entertainers of our time who shares a similar passion to bring awareness and activism to the world on the epidemic of addiction,” says Wes Hurt, CEO, and Founder of CLEAN Cause. “As Creative Director, investor, and a person in recovery, Macklemore will bring fresh ideas and knowledge to our Brand to further spread awareness on the epidemic. While we both have different experiences with addiction, we are committed to fighting addiction. We’re just two men on a mission.”
The CLEAN Cause product line consists of eight delicious-tasting, USDA organic-certified sparkling yerba maté beverages with 160 mgs of organic “Better Caffeine” in low and zero sugar options. Customers can directly support people recovering from alcohol and drug addiction by purchasing a can of CLEAN Cause. CLEAN Cause has awarded over 2,941 sober living scholarships totaling over $1,470,500 in communities around the country to date.
You can find CLEAN Cause products, nationwide, at Natural Grocer, Kroger, Wholefoods, and more major vendors. Online, these products can be found at CLEANCause.com, HEB.com, Instacart.com, Walmart.com, and Amazon.com.
For more information, visit www.CLEANCause.com and follow along on social media @CLEANCause.
