Highland Brewing Co. Launches Second Year of "Give Back with Gaelic" Campaign

Highland Brewing Co. has raised over $25,000 with its Give Back with Gaelic campaign, and the brewery is bringing it back this year. Full details are below.

ASHEVILLE, NC — Highland Brewing Company launches its second year of “Give Back with Gaelic,” a charitable giving campaign to support hospitality industry workers across the brewery’s entire Southeast distribution footprint. The campaign will run from September through the end of the year. 

According to recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, leisure and hospitality unemployment rates still exceed the national unemployment rate by 3.6%. In response to the ongoing need, the brewery is stepping up for a second year to give a portion of the proceeds from sales of Gaelic Ale, the brewery’s flagship amber ale, to seven locally significant non-profits aimed to support the hospitality community.  

Highland’s Family Owner and President, Leah Ashburn, said, “We have first-hand experience navigating pandemicrelated hospitality challenges in both of our taprooms. However, with customers purchases from across our footprint and the support from our wholesale partners, we have the ability to repeat this giving program. Highland will continue to do whatever we can to help pay it forward to so many of our own who still need support during this long road to recovery.”

 “The pandemic is still causing our friends and neighbors to make tough choices around food. We’re so grateful to Highland Brewing Company and their customers for helping us toward our vision of ‘No One Goes Hungry’,” said Tessa Johnson, Corporate Partnerships Officer with the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina. 

The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina is 1 of the 7 non-profit beneficiaries of this campaign. With additional matching contributions from the brewery’s distribution partners, the program is expected to raise more than last year’s $25,000 for the following organizations.  

• North Carolina Restaurant Workers Relief Fund (NC)
• Second Harvest Food Bank (NC)
• Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina (NC)
• South Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association (SC)
• Virginia Restaurant and Hospitality Relief Fund (VA)
• Tennessee Action for Hospitality (TN)
• Giving Kitchen (GA)

Now through the end of the year, customers looking to support the campaign can look for the updated Gaelic Ale packaging featuring a red “Give Back with Gaelic” banner. It is available at retailers across the Southeast. For more information, visit www.highlandbrewing.com/giveback.

ABOUT HIGHLAND BREWING: Highland Brewing was founded in 1994 by retired engineer and entrepreneur Oscar Wong, establishing it as the pioneer of Asheville, NC’s now booming craft beer industry. Proudly regional, Highland’s beers are distributed in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia. Highland is committed to quality and sustainability, boasting the sixth largest solar array in an American craft brewery. Today, the company is led by Wong’s daughter, Leah Wong Ashburn, and serves as the largest independent, family-owned, and operated brewery native to the Southeast. Located in a rehabilitated manufacturing facility in East Asheville, the brewery affords space for visitors to enjoy limited release beers, walking trails, volleyball

courts, and live music. In spring 2021, the brewery opened their second taproom and returned to downtown Asheville. The Downtown Taproom within the S&W Market, Asheville’s first food hall, is a great spot to try a taste of the city. For more information, visit www.highlandbrewing.com. Follow Highland on Twitter at @HighlandBrews and Instagram at @HighlandBrewing. Become a fan on Facebook at facebook.com/HighlandBrewingCompany.