818 Tequila becomes B Corp business

Tequila brand 818, founded by model and The Kardashians star Kendall Jenner, has become B Corp-certified.

The certification is awarded by B Lab, a non-profit network striving to transform the global economy to benefit people, communities and the planet.

The announcement has been backed by the brand’s unveiling of the ‘Buy a Bottle, Give a Brick’ campaign launch, which is set to expand impact and infrastructure in rural Mexican communities where Tequila is produced.

“I am so proud of this achievement in our first two years of business,” said Jenner. “I founded this company with sustainability at its core, and to be recognised for this commitment motivates us to continue building on these goals. This is just the first step, we will continue to work hard to make 818 as sustainable as possible.”

The Buy a Bottle, Give it Back campaign will see one brick donated to local Mexican infrastructure projects to every bottle of 818 Tequila purchased from 1 April through 30 June 2023, for a value of up to US$25,000.

Partnership with Sacred

The campaign is being rolled out in partnership with Sacred, (Saving agave for culture, recreation, education, and development), a nonprofit that supports Mexican communities where heritage agave spirits are made.

“Sustainability has been ingrained in 818’s DNA since day one, and we’re excited to continue our commitment to reduce our environmental impact while also giving back to the communities that are so integral to our Tequila production,” said Mike Novy, president and CEO at 818 Tequila.

“Working with Sacred to identify areas where new infrastructure will make a lasting impact has been immensely helpful.”

The Bricks Programme uses post-production agave byproduct to create bricks for building local community infrastructure like libraries, classrooms, and weather-mitigation structures.

To date, 818 Tequila said it has donated almost US$400,000 in support of the Bricks Programme, which has contributed towards projects including a community library in Zapotitlán de Vadillo, Jalisco.

“The adobe bricks that 818 is creating using Tequila byproducts are simply beautiful,” said Lou Bank, founder and executive director of Sacred.

“They have become the literal building blocks of educational infrastructure, like the library and middle school in Zapotitlán de Vadillo.

“This campaign will not only expedite the projects currently underway, but also allow us to break ground on new infrastructure that these local Mexican communities want and need.

“We’re grateful to work with 818 and have a direct impact on sustaining the multigenerational wisdom and practices of heritage spirits production.”

In addition, as a 1% for the Planet member, 818 donates 1% of each sale to environmental non-profit partners who share the same earth-forward philosophies.

Only 40% of companies who submit their ‘B Impact Assessments’ actually go on to earn certification, the Tequila brand said, which 818 reportedly achieved with the support of Impact Growth Partners, a woman-owned and operated B Corp consulting firm.

818 Tequila recently surpassed its projected UK sales by 150%.