CLEAN Cause, the Austin, Texas-based sparkling Yerba Maté beverage company, has partnered with Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter Ben Haggerty, better known as Macklemore, as the brand’s first creative director and celebrity investor.
The partnership brings together CLEAN Cause, a beverage brand that supports individuals in recovery, and Macklemore, who has long been an advocate and speaker about his struggles with substance abuse. CLEAN Cause, which ranks No. 2 in the yerba maté category, donates 50 percent of its net profits to funding sober living scholarships.
As creative director and investor, Macklemore will bring his vision to the brand’s mission along with providing artistic direction on a new limited edition CLEAN Cause can, digital editorial content and music and creative direction for the brand.
Over the next year, Macklemore and CLEAN Cause will execute numerous campaigns including a “scan the can” initiative, where exclusive content will be available to consumers via a QR code on the product and POS.
“I chose to align with and endorse a brand that is at the forefront of creating awareness for addiction and actively supporting the recovery community,” said Macklemore. “As creative director and a new investor of the already impactful brand, I am excited to combine my creative passions with a great product in an effort to save lives. Together, our goal is to inspire and educate individuals on addiction and support those who are in recovery.”
This partnership comes during a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has directly impacted the drug overdose and substance abuse epidemic. According to the American Medical Association, every state in the U.S. reported a spike or increase in overdose deaths or other problems during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Provisional data from CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics indicates there were an estimated 100,306 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. during the 12-month period ending in April 2021, an increase of 28.5 percent from the 78,056 deaths during the same period the year before.
The new data documents that estimated overdose deaths from opioids increased to 75,673 in the 12-month period ending in April 2021, up from 56,064 the year before. Today, more than 275 Americans die every day from a drug overdose.
CLEAN Cause was founded by entrepreneur, father and activist Wes Hurt. Hurt is in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction and is using his love of business, coupled with his story, to bring greater good to communities and individuals across the U.S.
As an avid consumer of caffeine, Hurt created a product he knew would fill a need that he had in his everyday life – an organic sparkling yerba maté with low sugar and 160mg of naturally sourced caffeine per can.
“We are grateful to be able to partner with one of the most iconic entertainers of our time who shares a similar passion to bring awareness and activism to the world on the epidemic of addiction,” Hurt said. “As creative director, investor and a person in recovery, Macklemore will bring fresh ideas and knowledge to our brand to further spread awareness on the epidemic. While we both have different experiences with addiction, we are committed to fighting addiction. We’re just two men on a mission.”
The CLEAN Cause product line consists of eight USDA organic certified, sparkling yerba maté beverages that come in low and zero sugar options, with 160 mgs of organic “Better Caffeine.” By purchasing a can of CLEAN Cause, consumers can directly support individuals in alcohol and drug addiction recovery.
To date, CLEAN Cause has granted more than 2,823 sober living scholarships, representing more than $1,411,500 in communities across the country.
CLEAN Cause is available nationwide in-store at major retailers and can be found online at Amazon, Walmart, Instacart and at CLEANCause.com.
