Article taken from the July 26, 2010 edition of Wicked Local

A new beer just started showing up on Massachusetts store shelves with an uncommon selling point: A portion of the profits will go to one of several military and veteran-related charities.
   In fact, that portion – 50 percent – is reflected in the name of the beer, 50 Back. Pepperell residents Kimberly Rogers and Paige Haley started selling the beer, an American-style lager with a recipe that they created, on Memorial Day weekend.
   The focus so far has been on shops north and northwest of Boston (Rogers tells me the beer is in about 60 restaurants and 200 retail outlets). Rogers says they’re hoping to expand the beer’s availability within the city of Boston and to secure a distribution agreement for the South Shore and Cape Cod soon. Eventually, they’ll look to build a distribution network that would allow them to expand into other states.
   The beer is brewed out-of-state, at the Olde Saratoga Brewing Company in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. They have already distributed 1,600 cases of 50 Back (that’s 38,400 bottles of beer) and recently received their second batch of 1,600 cases.
   Rogers, a tax attorney, and Paige, a real estate broker, are hoping to turn 50 Back into new full-time jobs. They’re both amateur home-brewers who wanted to start a business that could make its own contribution to society.
   50 Back Beer had its big launch party on Sunday in Charlestown, drawing more than 200 friends, family members and beneficiaries to a wind-whipped pier in the Navy Yard.   Even though 50 Back hasn’t made any profit yet, Rogers and Paige used the party to announce initial donations of $1,000 apiece to five charities: the USO, Homes for Our Troops, the Ahern Family Charitable Foundation, America’s VetDogs and the Massachusetts Soldiers Legacy Fund.
 Rogers and Paige said they plan to post their tax returns at the end of the year, so customers can see exactly how much profit the company is making and verify that half of that profit is indeed going to charity.
   It’s an unusual step for a for-profit company to share that kind of information (nonprofit tax returns are a matter of public record). It will be interesting to watch Rogers and Paige prove that giving back to others can be a profitable – and fun – endeavor.

To locate a store near you that sells 50 Back, visit their website:
http://www.50back.com/the-beer/where-to-buy/

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