Heineken USA, White Plains, N.Y., honored Harbor Distributing LLC, Anaheim, Calif., and Mission Beverage Co. , Los Angeles, with its fifth annual 1864 Award for Responsibility, which recognizes partners that embrace the values of moderation and responsibility. The awards were presented at Heineken USA’s annual National Distributor Conference in Atlanta last week.
“Since our inception, Heineken USA has been committed to encouraging responsible consumption of our products,” said Stacey Tank, senior vice president and chief corporate relations officer for Heineken USA, in a statement. “We are proud to work with Harbor Distributing and Mission Beverage, partners who continually drive high-impact responsibility programs that benefit their communities.”
Honored with the 1864 Award for a distributor with a case volume of more than 1 million cases, Harbor Distributing fosters a philosophy of responsibility that is wholly ingrained in its culture, Heineken notes. Harbor’s parent company, Reyes Holdings LLC, has long emphasized responsible selling, marketing and consumption education as key components of its mission. Harbor extends these shared beliefs to their community through cooperative programming with law enforcement, local community groups and retailers.
It also leverages Heineken USA programs such as Taxi Magic, a free smartphone app for booking taxis, and the Health Alliance on Alcohol, a series of alcohol awareness educational materials. To support Alcohol Awareness month in 2011, Harbor provided books and toolkits from the Health Alliance on Alcohol to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County to assist with the organization’s alcohol awareness and training program for new mentors. Harbor also teamed with Heineken USA to launch a responsibility poster campaign at the 2011 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and 2011 Toyota Grand Prix Long Beach in California. This is the company’s third award and second consecutive 1864 Award win, it said.
Mission Beverage Co. received the 1864 Award for a distributor with volume of less than 1 million cases. Responsible consumption is a guiding principle for Mission Beverage Co.’s employees and larger community. The distributor has taken steps to help employees be responsible members of the community, including a strict drinking limit for employees during sampling and retail activities and a zero-tolerance policy for driving under the influence at all times, Heineken says.
Supporting the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Vital Intervention and Directional Alternatives (VIDA) program, Mission Beverage Co. underwrote a speaker series for regional high schools to bring students’ attention to the dangers and consequences of underage drinking as well as drinking and driving. Delivering a similar message to local college students and residents, Mission sponsored more than 100 public service announcements on University of Southern California radio stations during key seasons. The company also leverages the Taxi Magic program and amplifies it in local accounts during key holidays, the company said.
