Salute American Hosts “Battle of the Bartenders” Finals at Three-Sixty-Rooftop Bar

Salute American Hosts “Battle of the Bartenders” Finals at Three-Sixty-Rooftop Bar

Brand Invests One Dollar for Every Bottle Sold In Support of U.S. Veterans Charities

Chicago, IL – (May 16, 2013) – Salute American, a premium new vodka with a purpose, will host the finals of their “Battle of the Bartenders” contest on Monday, May 20th, beginning at 7:00pm.  The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place at Three Sixty, Hilton at the Ballpark’s rooftop bar located at One South Broadway, in St. Louis.

The eight participating bartenders qualified to the finals by placing in the top two at one of four preliminary events held at Syberg’s Chesterfield, Café Napoli, Lucas Park Grille, and SubZero Vodka Bar.  In the finals, bartenders will be required to make one cocktail for each of the five fudges that contains no more than four ingredients.  They will also be judged on taste, presentation and cocktail name, which should reflect a Salute American theme.  The winning bartender will receive a $1,000 cash grand prize.

The eight finalists are:

  • Elliott Mellow, BBQ ASAP
  • Chantel Davis, Side Pockets
  • Justin Sampson, Boogaloo
  • Brandon Love, Three Sixty-Rooftop
  • Chris Wheeler, Bar 360
  • Andy Brown, Lucas Park Grille
  • Alli Hull, SubZero Vodka Bar
  • Tim Rabior, Salt

Salute American is a premium vodka that’s committed to investing in the future of U.S. veterans who have proudly served their country.  The brand, which launched in Missouri and Southern Illinois earlier this year, donates $1 for every 750ml bottle sold to approved veterans’ charities – a declaration etched on every bottle.

Salute American Vodka is pure American from start to finish.  The vodka, which is made from corn and wheat grains straight from the heartland, was approved for the USA Certified™ Seal.  It’s four times distilled for a smooth and sweet taste that works well mixed or neat.  The canteen-shaped bottle bearing the red, white and blue, was manufactured in Park Hills, Missouri.  The suggested retail price for a 750ml bottle is $22.99, which will vary by market.  Salute American Vodka is 80-proof and 40% alcohol by volume.  For more information, please visit www.saluteamerican.com “like” us on facebook and follow us on twitter @SaluteAmerican

About Better Brands BevCo.

Privately owned and Midwest-based, Better Brands Beverage Co. is a for-profit company committed to investing in Veterans Charities that create jobs for Veterans.  The Company was founded in 2012 by CEO Pete Kelly who passionately believes in making a difference in people’s lives through the ‘pay-it-forward’ philosophy.

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Salute American Hosts “Battle of the Bartenders” Finals at Three-Sixty-Rooftop Bar

Better Brands Beverage Co. Salutes American Veterans With the Launch of a Premium Vodka in Georgia

Chicago, IL – (May 14, 2013) – Better Brands Beverage Co. announced that it has chosen Georgia to be among the first markets to launch Salute American, a new brand with a purpose.  The Company’s inaugural offering is an American-made, premium vodka that’s committed to investing in the future of U.S. veterans who have proudly served their country.  To that end, the Company will donate one-dollar for every 750ml bottle sold to approved veterans’ charities – a declaration etched on every bottle.

This month, Salute American will commit $10,000 to Purple Heart Homes (PHH), an organization dedicated to providing personalized housing solutions for Service Connected Disabled Veterans and their families that are substantial in function, design and quality.  PHH provides a “quality of life solution” that creates an injury specific, barrier free-living environment – from remodeling an existing home already owned by the veteran, to creating an entire living space from the ground up.  The donation from Salute American will enable PHH to renovate a home in Atlanta for a local veteran.

“Purple Heart Homes is proud to partner with Salute American to assist those veterans who have covered our backs and been tragically wounded while fighting for our nation’s freedom,” said co-founders, Dale Beatty and John Gallina.

Salute American is the brainchild of CEO-founder Pete Kelly, a passionate entrepreneur who wanted to make a difference in people’s lives through the ‘pay-it-forward’ philosophy.  Pete couldn’t think of a more deserving group than U.S. Veterans – a band of brothers with increasingly high unemployment and homelessness rates*.  Salute American became a practical way to help maintain and create jobs in the US for veterans, and to generate ongoing economic success, stronger families and stronger communities.

“Salute American is more than a name – it’s our mission,” said Pete Kelly, CEO-founder, Better Brands BevCo.  “We prove our patriotism by giving back and paying it forward.”

Salute American Vodka is pure American from start to finish.  The vodka, which was approved for the USA Certified™ Seal, is made from corn and wheat grains straight from the heartland.  It’s then four times distilled for a smooth and sweet taste that works well mixed or neat.  The canteen-shaped bottle bearing the red, white and blue, was manufactured in Park Hills, Missouri, by Piramal, and distilled and bottled at Lidestri Spirits in Rochester, NY.

In addition to Georgia, the brand is available in on- and off-premise accounts in Missouri, Arkansas, Indiana and Southern Illinois.  The suggested retail price for a 750ml bottle is $22.99, which may vary by market.  Salute American Vodka is 80-proof and 40% alcohol by volume.  The brand recently received a Silver Medal and an 87-point “highly recommended” rating from the prestigious Beverage Testing Institute in the category of “Best Value Vodka $20 and under.”  For more information, please visit www.saluteamerican.com “like” us on facebook www.facebook.com/SaluteAmericanVodka and follow us on twitter @SaluteAmerican.

* According to Labor Department Data, the unemployment rate among male veterans, ages 18-24, is nearly 27%.  There are currently more than 100,000 homeless Vets in the US.

About Better Brands BevCo.

Privately owned and Midwest-based, Better Brands Beverage Co. is a for-profit company committed to investing in Veterans Charities that create jobs for Veterans.  The Company was founded in 2012 by CEO Pete Kelly who passionately believes in making a difference in people’s lives through the ‘pay-it-forward’ philosophy.

 

 

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Salute American Hosts “Battle of the Bartenders” Finals at Three-Sixty-Rooftop Bar

Plum Market® Bakes Up Something Special With Zingerman’s® Community of Businesses

New Full-Service Grocery Store in Old Town First to Carry Zingerman’s “Bakehouse” Breads & Pastries

Chicago, IL (May 1, 2013) – Plum Market®, Old Town’s newest neighborhood grocer for natural, organic, local and specialty items, plans to bring a little piece of home to its newest location in Chicago – namely, Zingerman’s® Community of Businesses (ZCoB).

Known well for delivering fresh breads and pastries to retailers across Michigan, Zingerman’s Bakehouse is an energetic group of dedicated bakers committed to making and selling the best-tasting, traditionally made breads and pastries.  The Company purposefully limits their distribution to retailers within driving distance of its Ann Arbor headquarters.   Although the Company sells individual products out of state, their decision to partner with Plum Market in its new Chicago location, was based on Plum Market’s dedication to carry high-quality products.

“Plum asked us to come with them, and after in-depth discussions about how this could work and still maintain the quality of our traditionally-made breads and pastries, we agreed,” said Amy Emberling, a Zingerman’s Bakehouse Managing Partner.

“We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with Zingerman’s to Chicago and committed to providing guests with the best local offerings,” said Matt Jonna, President & Co-Founder, Plum Market.  “99% of our baked goods are made locally and delivered fresh daily.”

In addition to Zingerman’s Bakehouse, Plum Market Old Town Chicago will offer:

  • Zingerman’s Creamery, specializing in traditional fresh, soft-ripened and raw cheeses, including the Company’s critically acclaimed Real Cream Cheese and award-winning hand-made gelato and sorbets
  • Zingerman’s Candy Manufactory, including their signature Zzang! ® Candy Bars: Zzang!® Original, Ca$hew Cow™, Wowza™ and What the Fudge? ®, as well as its hand made peanut brittle, fudge and special holiday treats

Along with full-service grocery accommodations and a high-quality selection of product at competitive prices, Plum Market features a vast eat-in and carryout assortment of foods made fresh daily.  The store’s beverage program will feature ongoing educational tasting events in its wine bar and an extensive selection of domestic and imported craft beers, premium and hard-to-find spirits and popular and boutique wines.  The  store also features an apothecary that houses a huge selection of vitamins and supplements, housewares, Green Living products, and all natural body care.

The new store is located at 1233 N. Wells Street in Old Town and officially opens to the public on June 13.  Daily hours are from 8:00am – 10:00pm.  Guests have access to free parking.

For more information, visit www.plummarket.com join us on facebook http://www.facebook.com/PlumMarketChicago and follow us @PlumMarket on twitter.

About Plum Market®

Plum Market® offers a full-service shopping experience to inspire guests to live well, with taste.  The company is a privately owned company based in Farmington Hills, Michigan and has full-service grocery stores in Bloomfield Township, Michigan; Ann Arbor, Michigan; and West Bloomfield, Michigan. Matthew Jonna and Marc Jonna are third generation retailers who grew up working for their father’s store, Merchant of Vino Marketplace, a natural, organic, and specialty food and wine store with six locations across the Midwest.  The chain attracted significant attention from competitors and in 1998 Whole Foods Market acquired the company. Both Jonna’s continued to work with the Whole Foods Market executive leadership team. Matt and Marc left Whole Foods Market to pursue developing a new grocery concept, later to become Plum Market with the first store location opening in 2007.

About Zingerman’s® Community of Businesses

The Zingerman’s Community of Businesses (ZCoB) is a family of eight businesses all located in the Ann Arbor area and reflects the novel strategy for business growth created by Zingerman’s Deli founders Paul Saginaw and Ari Weinzweig in 1982. Rather than replicating their deli through the franchise model, Paul and Ari instead chose to develop new, independent businesses, all rooted in the local community that work together as one organization. Each business is operated by one or more managing partners who share ownership and put their particular expertise to work in the day-to-day running of their business. The idea for the ZCoB was laid out in Zingerman’s 2009 vision, written by Ari and Paul in 1994 and highlighted in Bo Burlingham’s 2003 article for Inc. Magazine, “The Coolest Small Company in America.” In 2006, the ZCoB managing partners began work on Zingerman’s 2020 vision. It was completed a year later and paints a picture of the ZCoB at the end of the next decade. Zingerman’s 2020 vision was featured in a New York Times article from June 2007, “The Corner Deli that Dared to Break Out of the Neighborhood.”

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