Beam Suntory and Suntory Holdings Donate $600,000 to Organizations Supporting COVID-19 Relief in India
Beam Suntory and Suntory Holdings Donate $600,000 to Organizations Supporting COVID-19 Relief in India
May 12, 2021 (CHICAGO) – Beam Suntory, a world leader in premium spirits, and parent company Suntory Holdings, have pledged $600,000 (approx. INR 44,184,000) to support COVID-19 relief in India, focused on increasing access to medical care in the hardest-hit areas, and supporting on-trade partners that have been impacted by the surging pandemic.
“Giving back to society is one of Suntory Group’s most cherished and fundamental values,” said Tak Niinami, CEO of Suntory Holdings. “We are proud to stand with Beam Suntory and our team members in India to support urgent public health needs and hard-hit communities as India confronts the alarming surge in coronavirus cases.”
Donations will support:
• British Asian Trust, which is working to deliver oxygen concentrators to hospitals as quickly as possible, working with local partners to identify the areas of greatest need
• Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), India’s largest business chamber which is undertaking extensive relief operations across India with various Government agencies and local authorities in the areas affected by the second wave of COVID-19
• Through Beam Suntory’s partnership with the National Restaurant Association of India, supporting recovery efforts in the food and beverage industry, as well as professional training and vaccination cover where needed by staff of the association members
• Government-led relief efforts to mitigate the shortage of hospital equipment in India’s most severely impacted states
“The pandemic has been a tragedy globally, but the current situation in India has hit close to home for us, as it has impacted many of our team members, their families, and communities,” said Albert Baladi, President & CEO of Beam Suntory. “Contributing to vibrant and equitable communities is a pillar of our Proof Positive sustainability strategy, and we are committed to helping support these hard-hit communities in India.”
Beam Suntory operates a fast-growing commercial business in India, with a Head Office in Gurgaon, as well as bottling facilities in Behror and Goa, and has more than 300 full-time employees across the country.
“This is a very difficult time for India, and I know I speak on behalf of my entire team when I say that the support we are receiving from Beam Suntory and Suntory leadership has been an inspiration,” said Neeraj Kumar, Beam Suntory’s Managing Director of India. “We are proud to build on the support that Beam Suntory India has already provided, including previous donations to the NRAI, as well generous support from our employees to the state of Rajasthan’s COVID relief efforts in 2020. We look forward to continuing to work with our people, our partners and our industry to rebuild to an even brighter future once India recovers from this crisis.”
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Beam Suntory has donated to various COVID relief efforts around the world, including a €100,000 donation to the German Red Cross and €200,000 to hospitals and nursing homes in Spain, among many others. The company has also pledged more than $3 million to support restaurant and bar workers and their families across numerous markets. Initiatives included a $150,000 (INR 1 Crore) donation to the National Restaurant Association in India in 2020, as well as a Maker’s Mark’s partnership with the LEE Initiative Restaurant Reboot Relief Program and Restaurant Workers Relief Program, which donated more than 1 million meals to restaurant workers in the US, and various other support programs for on-trade workers in markets including Canada, the UK, Germany, Spain, Brazil, Korea and India.
To support hospital systems and first responders in the fight against COVID-19, the company’s facilities in Kentucky, Japan, Spain, England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada and Mexico produced sanitizer sufficient to clean more than 50 million pairs of hands.
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About Suntory Holdings
As a global leader in the beverage industry, Suntory Holdings offers a uniquely diverse portfolio of products from premium spirits, beer and wine to brewed teas, bottled water, carbonated soft drinks, ready-to-drink coffee and energy drinks, along with health and wellness products. Suntory is home to award-winning Japanese whiskies Yamazaki, Hibiki and Hakushu as well as iconic American spirits Jim Beam and Maker's Mark. Suntory also fascinates the taste buds in Japan and the Asian market with our Premium Malt's beer and also owns the exceptional Japanese wine Tomi and the world famous Château Lagrange. Its brand collection also includes Sauza Tequila, non-alcoholic favorites Orangina, Lucozade, Ribena, BOSS coffee, Iyemon green tea, Suntory Tennensui water, TEA+ Oolong Tea, V and BRAND’S, as well as popular health and wellness product Sesamin EX.
Founded as a family-owned business in 1899 in Osaka, Japan, Suntory Group has grown into a global company operating throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania with an annual revenue (excluding excise taxes) of $20.4 billion in 2020. Suntory is driven by Yatte Minahare - the spirit of bold ambition - and our 40,044 employees worldwide draw upon our unique blend of Japanese artisanship and global tastes to explore new product categories and markets.
As a company that delivers blessings of water and nature to our customers, Suntory is committed to its mission to create harmony with people and nature. Always aspiring to grow for good, Suntory is devoted to giving back to society through protecting water resources, nurturing its communities and fostering the arts.
Learn more about Suntory Group, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility at https://www.suntory.com, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
About Beam Suntory
As a world leader in premium spirits, Beam Suntory inspires human connections. Consumers from all corners of the globe call for the company’s brands, including the iconic Jim Beam® and Maker’s Mark® bourbon brands, Suntory whisky Kakubin and Courvoisier® cognac, as well as world renowned premium brands including Knob Creek®, Basil Hayden’s® and Legent™ bourbon; Yamazaki®, Hakushu®, Hibiki® and Toki™ Japanese whisky; Teacher’s, Laphroaig® and Bowmore® Scotch whisky; Canadian Club® whisky; Oaksmith® IMFL whisky; Hornitos® and Sauza® tequila; EFFEN®, Haku® and Pinnacle® vodka; Sipsmith® and Roku™ gin; and On The Rocks® Premium Cocktails.
Beam Suntory India operates a fast-growing commercial business in India, in addition to three bottling facilities in Behror and Goa, with more than 300 full-time employees currently based in the country. The company has an ambition to build a $1 billion business in India by 2030.
Beam Suntory was created in 2014 by combining the world leader in bourbon and the pioneer in Japanese whisky to form a new company with a deep heritage, passion for quality, innovative spirit and vision of Growing for Good, which now includes its transformative sustainability strategy, Proof Positive. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Beam Suntory is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings Limited of Japan. For more information on Beam Suntory, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit https://www.beamsuntory.com and https://www.drinksmart.com.
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