Grammy-Award Winning Artist “Macklemore” Joins Sparkling Yerba Maté Beverage Brand CLEAN Cause as Investor and Creative Director

Partnership inspired by the shared vision to educate, raise awareness & support addiction recovery


Watch "CLEAN Cause: Drink to This.” Presented by Macklemore

AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CLEAN Cause, the Austin-based sparkling Yerba Maté beverage company, today announced 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 on a mission to support individuals in recovery, and Macklemore, who has long been an advocate for the power of recovery and candid about his struggles with substance abuse. CLEAN Cause, which ranks number two in the yerba maté category, donates 50% of its net profits (or 5% net revenues, whichever is greater) to funding sober living scholarships.

As Creative Director and investor, Haggerty will bring an inspired vision to the Brand’s mission along with providing artistic direction on a new limited edition CLEAN Cause can, digital editorial content, and music & 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 Ben Haggerty. “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 timely partnership comes during a time when the COVID pandemic has directly impacted the drug overdose and substance abuse epidemic. According to the American Medical Association, every state in the US reported a spike or increase in overdose deaths or other problems during the COVID pandemic. Provisional data from CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics indicates there were an estimated 100,306 drug overdose deaths in the United States during the 12-month period ending in April 2021, an increase of 28.5% 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 serial entrepreneur, father, and activist, Wes Hurt. Hurt is a person in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction who 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 amazing tasting organic sparkling yerba maté with low sugar & 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,” says Wes Hurt, CEO, and Founder of CLEAN Cause. “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 amazing tasting, USDA organic certified, sparkling yerba maté beverages that come in low and zero sugar options, with 160mgs 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 over 2,823 sober living scholarships representing more than $1,411,500 in communities across the country.

CLEAN Cause is available nationwide at Wholefoods, Kroger, Natural Grocer & many other major retailers, and can be found online at Amazon.com, Walmart.com, HEB.com, Instacart.com, and CLEANCause.com.

For more information, visit www.CLEANCause.com and follow along on social media @CLEANCause.

Entertainment marketing agency FlyteVu.com brokered the partnership on behalf of CLEAN Cause.

About CLEAN Cause:
CLEAN Cause Sparkling Yerba Mate supports individuals in recovery from alcohol & drug addiction. CLEAN Cause’s business model and its commitment to fund sober living scholarships with 50% of net profits (or 5% net revenues, whichever is greater) has resulted in the granting of over 2,823 sober living scholarships representing more than $1,411,500. The CLEAN Cause product line consists of eight amazing tasting, USDA organic certified, sparkling yerba maté beverages that come in low and zero sugar options. Each 16-ounce can is packed with 160mgs of organic caffeine to power your everyday passions while supporting individuals in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction. CLEAN Cause’s 40-plus employees are dedicated to building a brand that empowers consumers to leverage their purchases to support individuals in recovery from drug & alcohol addiction with greater access to sober living facilities.

About Macklemore:
Macklemore most recently released his new single “Next Year” featuring Windser (Oct 29). The new record is produced by Ryan Lewis, the first new song the two have made in five years. Macklemore’s next full-length project will arrive in 2022.

Multi-platinum and GRAMMY award winning rapper Macklemore has made history as an independent artist with a combination of commercial success, critical acclaim and international appeal. ‘GEMINI’, Macklemore’s first solo effort in 12 years, was released in 2017 and debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 chart and #1 on the charts for Rap, R&B/Hip-Hop, and Independent Albums. ‘GEMINI’ includes three Platinum-certified singles, “Glorious" (featuring Skylar Grey), “Good Old Days” (featuring Kesha), and “Marmalade” (featuring Lil Yachty).

‘GEMINI’ follows two releases with producer Ryan Lewis: the multiple-GRAMMY award winning and multi-platinum album, ‘The Heist’ (which spawned two #1 singles, the Diamond-certified “Thrift Shop” and multi-platinum “Can’t Hold Us”) and 2016 release “This Unruly Mess I’ve Made”, which featured the Platinum-certified single "Downtown". 

Collectively Macklemore’s music videos have been viewed over 3 billion times and he is one of only two rappers to have a Diamond-certified single (“Thrift Shop”).

Recently, the Seattle rapper has featured on international platinum hits “Summer Days”, alongside Martin Garrix and Patrick Stump, and “These Days” with Rudimental, Jess Glynne and Dan Caplen. He’s recently performed on Ellen and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and was a guest artist on NBC’s hit new series “Songland”.

A lifelong Seattle resident, Macklemore has always believed in using his platform, resources and creative pursuits to have an impact on racial and social justice issues. Macklemore is a co-founder of The Residency, a hip hop and youth development program that has become one of the preeminent opportunities for young aspiring artists in the region. Drawing on his personal battles with drugs and alcohol, Macklemore has consistently used his art and platform to raise awareness around issues of addiction and recovery. In 2016 he was featured in an MTV special with President Obama about the opioid epidemic in America and was the first non-administration official ever to participate in the Presidential Weekly Address.

In 2021, Macklemore launched Bogey Boys, a golf and lifestyle clothing brand that has gained quick momentum and made waves in the golf and fashion worlds. In September 2021, Macklemore launched the Bogey Boys Flagship along with Goose Magees Vintage Mall on Capitol Hill in Seattle.

He is a co-owner of the Seattle Sounders, of Major League Soccer. He currently serves on the board of directors for MusiCares, The Residency and The Underground Museum in LA.

Media Contact:
FlyteVu
Brittany Rashkin   
Brittany.Rashkin@flytevu.com

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/dc4706bf-a270-4305-b23c-d71ff733d703
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9e39fafd-e086-45f5-ae3a-ea6c226f27ff


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