The 4th of July may be behind us already, but we’re continuing our week of spotlighting some of our favorite “All American” companies. One company that is probably not yet on your radar, but should be, is Liberty Bottleworks.
Based in Yakima, Washington, all of Liberty Bottleworks’ manufacturing is done right here in America, by American factory workers. As mentioned in a previous article about them, they took the same approach as Chris King when designing their production facility, making sure to minimize its environmental impact. The water used in the various processes is actually treated in-house, so that it can be continuously reused. All of the bottles are produced using 100% recycled aluminum as well. Even the machines used to stamp the bottle from aluminum flats are made in America, providing jobs, and keeping revenue in the United States. The bottle design itself produces very little waste. This kind of forward thinking helped get them on our list, but there’s more. Realizing that creating local jobs can revitalize their community, they use designs by local artists, with a portion of each sale going to the artists favored charity. This has the added benefit of allowing the artist to reach a bigger market as well, thanks to the wide distribution of Liberty Bottleworks bottles.
Another noteworthy way they improve their community is by actively pursuing our troops that have returned from their deployment, and offering them jobs. Many times, especially for the members that joined the armed forces right out of high school, there are limited opportunities when returning from overseas. This creates a mutually beneficial situation, as it helps to keep local unemployment low, at the same time providing a source of disciplined workers eager to learn new skills.
While they support a variety of charitable organizations, last month they had a special that included free shipping, with a whopping $8 from the sale of each bottle going to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. We appreciate the fact that they are raising funds for some of the more under-represented charities, and in a very generous manner as well. Putting people before profits can be a scary proposition when facing your accountant, but at the end of the day, it provides the balance needed to succeed as a business while strengthening ties to the community and country. It appears they have found that balance, all the while producing an outstanding product. We salute them for their efforts.
– Brian