Heineken USA Awards Distributors for Responsible Practices
Heineken USA (HUSA) has selected Harbor Distributing LLC and High Country Beverage (HCB) as this year’s recipients of its 1864 Award for Responsibility and Sustainability.
The two distributors received the awards on Oct. 20 at the beer brewer's annual National Distributor Conference, which was held in Chicago. For the first time, the 2016 selection process included such considerations as environmental sustainability efforts and best-in-class practices promoting responsible consumption and moderation.
Huntington Beach, Calif.-based Harbor Distributing LLC partnered with the Health Alliance on Alcohol to engage community members on underage drinking through Project Access, with Uber and Curb to provide safe rides during holidays and at HUSA-sponsored events, with education groups and community organizations to prevent alcohol access to minors, and with the Anaheim Police Department to promote alcoholic awareness at the annual National Night Out event at Stoddard Park in Anaheim, Calif. The company's effective environmental sustainability efforts included the use of all electric handling equipment, energy-efficient warehouse LED lighting, waste recycling, and the reduction of fleet emissions through the use of hybrid trucks.
Meanwhile, Loveland, Colo.-based HCB, through its TAKE CARE Responsibility Program, created awareness of responsible alcohol consumption through billboard and radio advertising, and by distributing thousands of TAKE CARE cards on area college campuses during orientation and at sporting events. HCB also teamed with Team Fort Collins, a nonprofit group that provides drug and alcohol prevention and education services to parents and youths. Its environmental sustainability initiatives included fleet carbon emissions reduction, the use of all-electric warehouse equipment, and the laying of a conduit for electric vehicle-charging stations.
White Plains, N.Y.-based HUSA has a history of working with its distributor partners to elevate responsible consumption around the globe. To be considered for the annual award, distributors submitted such initiatives as safe-ride partnerships, carbon emissions reduction, glass recycling education and awareness, the Alcohoot smartphone breathalyzer, and the Health Alliance on Alcohol, a national public responsibility initiative developed in partnership with HUSA, New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System and White Plains Hospital.