Announcing the recipients of the Love, Tito's Small Business Grant Program:
Slow Rise Bakehouse
"Running this business is a chance to create meaning by championing responsible food systems. I do this by purchasing ingredients from farmers who live right down the road, then talking to and educating customers about exactly where our ingredients came from."
– Meredith and Dave Ferrier
Bloom Healthy
"I envision a B-Certified grocery that is open to the entire community those who can and cannot pay. A holistic space that values each customer and provides the nourishment they need to be healthy..."
– Marion Hensen
TÁPI Story
"Our vision for TÁPI Story is to amplify the work of community-based organization and research institutions through mindful, compelling, humanizing media."
– Ai Vuong
Full Battle Rattle Deli
"We are a Brooklyn-style deli that supports Veterans who are homeless or in-transition with job training and employment. Our motto is, 'Supporting Veterans One Sandwich ata Time.'"
– Michael Gropper
Remark Glass
"Our business diverts waste from landfill, transforms it into products, and sells to local businesses. Remark Glass demonstrates that not only is a local circular economy possible, it is impactful."
– Rebecca Davies, Danielle Ruttenberg and Mark Ellis
Randall's Sandals
"I am home to the #DonationDiscount. The community bring me their shoes, sandals, and new socks and I ensure they stay out the landfills and get recycled or redistributed to the impoverished communities right here in San Diego."
– Randall Engstrom
Culinary Concepts AB
"I envision a future where the culinary industry is equitable, welcoming, diverse and a viable pathway to rewarding careers."
– Antwon Brinson
Shady Grove Road Blueberry Patch
"We saw the need to be a pillar of the community and a source of an abundance of knowledge and nourishment. It made sense to purchase the farm and give it back to the community after being unmanaged for over thirty years."
– Josie Gbadamosi
Essentially Charleston
"Essentially Charleston buys only from local artisans, makers, and designers. One hundred percent of my inventory expense stays in the community. Essentially Charleston also regularly donates to local charities and is a member of Lowcountry Local First (a nonprofit dedicated to promoting local businesses)."
– Sunny Gray
Moana Water
"Rooted in our dedication to the health of ʻāina, our community, and our customers, Moana Water champions regenerative and economic practices for Hawaii and beyond. As stewards of the land, we must protect, respect, and educate."
– Maile Woodhall
Love, Tito's Small Business Grant Program
In honor of our 25th anniversary, we're raising a glass to the entrepreneurial spirit.
Our story started with a dream: To make a vodka so smooth you could drink it straight, a vodka for sharing with folks who love good cocktails, a vodka with enough spirit to make the world a better place.
For a while it was just a dream. Before breaking into the spirits industry, Tito had walked down a few career paths – from roughnecking on oil rigs to selling mortgages out of his living room. Somewhere along the way, he began to make homemade infusions; gifts for holidays and housewarmings. The small gesture coined him a nickname: “the vodka guy.” Little did he know, that nickname would seal his destiny.
After countless challenges, a 998 square foot shack outside of Austin, and a pot still rigged from a few spare parts, Tito Beveridge was well on his way.
Twenty-five years later, Tito's Handmade Vodka lines shelves and fills glasses around the world. We’ve grown into a brand not only known for our award-winning product sold at a fair price, but also for doing good; from rescuing dogs, to helping our environment, to supporting entrepreneurs who have big dreams.
This year, in honor of our 25th anniversary, we’re giving back to small business owners who are following their passions and making an impact in their communities – just like Tito did, and continues to do, alongside the wider Tito’s Handmade Vodka team.
Through Love, Tito’s, we’re launching the “Love, Tito’s Small Business Grant Program.” This brand-new program will support 10 small business owners who best demonstrate the company values of grit, love, kindness, meaning, and purpose.
By teaming up with Accion Opportunity Fund, we’ll deliver $25,000 grants to help fuel each business’s vision for growth. Accion Opportunity Fund is a financial support system that provides diverse, determined small business owners with access to capital, networks, and coaching.
The goal behind the “Love, Tito’s Small Business Grant Program” is to offer entrepreneurs one less obstacle to overcome and one more opportunity to succeed. Because if Tito Beveridge can turn a dream into a bottle, a bottle into a brand, a brand into a catalyst for making a difference in the world? If he could do all that with unwavering determination, a pocket of debt, and word-of-mouth? Imagine what he could have done with a little extra help.
This program was offered in the summer of 2022 and has ended.
