Includes a donation to Rajasthan Chief Minister Relief Fund to help the state in Covid-19 relief efforts
Beam Suntory, a world leader in premium spirits, and parent company Suntory Holdings, have pledged $600,000 (approx. INR 4,41,84,000) to support COVID-19 relief in India, focussing on increasing access to medical care in the hardest-hit areas and supporting on-trade partners that have been impacted by the surging pandemic. With its bottling facilities in Behror located in Rajasthan, the company continues to deliver on its ‘Growing for Good’ vision that includes supporting the communities where their people live and work, by contributing directly to Rajasthan Chief Minister Relief Fund to help the state government in its relief efforts.
“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 were needed by the staff of the association members
● Relief efforts led by state governments in India’s most severely impacted states to mitigate the shortage of hospital equipment
“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 a previous donation to the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) to support hospitality industry staff, 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.
