A New Portland Cocktail Bar Donates 100 Percent of Its Profits to Youth-Centered Charities | Eater Portland

"I learned that the Oregon-based distillery Dregs Vodka, owned by Mike and Courtney Nierengarten, was founded from a desire to give back rather than a beverage-industry background: after researching that just over 74 million cases of vodka were sold in the United States in 2019, they decided to specialize in vodka and partnered with Swallowtail Spirits in Springfield, Oregon to produce the vodka under the Dregs label rather than distilling themselves. I report that the Nierengartens distribute Dregs to liquor stores, restaurants, and other businesses (including Tini’s), and that the after-tax profits from Dregs and Tini’s sales go to 14 different nonprofits and organizations; Dregs first donated to Portland YouthBuilders (where Mike served on the board), which provides free vocational training for underserved young adults, and has since expanded to include Oregon nonprofits like Project 48 (which gives kids in foster care backpacks of new clothes and toiletries) and the Shadow Project (which works with schools to build equitable programs for students with learning disabilities), with the couple specifically choosing nonprofits that benefit low-income youth in communities where people can find Dregs." - Eater