Professional Goalkeeper Exercises Talent off the Pitch to Design Custom Artwork for Seattle-based Brand’s Line of Cachaças
SEATTLE, WA (JULY 20, 2021) – Novo Fogo Cachaça, a Seattle-based, environmentally-minded brand of cachaça handcrafted at the company’s carbon-negative, zero-waste distillery in Brazil, today announces a new initiative in collaboration with Seattle pro goalkeeper and two-time champion Stefan Frei, now a partner in the company. The program supports Novo Fogo’s reforestation project named The Un-Endangered Forest, which seeks to remove 36 species of native Brazilian trees from the threatened list.
For each save recorded by Frei or his replacements during the 2021 professional soccer season, Novo Fogo will contribute $100 to the project. As of July 8, the tally for the season is 36 with Frei’s team undefeated in the league and tied for the lowest number of goals allowed after 13 games.
Off the soccer field, Frei is an artist and an appreciator of Brazil’s national cocktail, so the new partners set to raise awareness for the TREE-KEEPER™ project by developing a custom packaging series for two Novo Fogo caipirinha products. Frei developed original artwork based on the inspiring landscapes and community of Morretes, Novo Fogo’s home base in the Atlantic Forest of coastal Brazil; his colorful artwork acts as a mural of natural scenery, wrapped around the packaging boxes for two products:
The Brazilian Caipirinha Kit (SRP $29.99) – includes a Novo Fogo Silver 750ml bottle, certified 100% organic by the USDA, two custom 10-oz jars, and a custom muddler, plus recipes and stories.
The Sparkling Caipirinha Tropical Variety 6-pack (SRP $14.99) – includes “toucans” (two cans) of each of the Lime, Mango, and Passion Fruit flavored cocktails (8.2% – 8.5% ABV, 128 – 135 calories, 10 – 11 g of carbs).
Both products are 100% natural and made in Seattle with cachaça from Brazil. This intersection is meaningful to Frei as he says, “Our company has homes on two continents, in two regions of the world that are leaders in environmental stewardship and are filled with soccer culture: the Pacific Northwest of the USA and the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. Although the packaging mural is mostly a reflection of the Brazilian jungle life and soccer imagery, I hid a few icons in there that Northwesterners will enjoy discovering.”
Both the products and the program are a reflection of Novo Fogo’s pursuit to combine Brazilian tradition with modern drinking trends in the USA. “We’ve welcomed Stefan as a partner in the business,” says Dragos Axinte, CEO of Novo Fogo. “Because of his great saves, his leadership acumen on and off the pitch, artistic talents, love for caipirinhas, and especially like so many others, he is an immigrant who has brought human excellence into his new community. In this world that keeps shrinking, intersecting perspectives and finding our common voice is the path to fulfillment.”
The TREE-KEEPER™ initiative is a program without an end date. Retail launches and promotional events are planned through Novo Fogo’s national distribution partner 375 Park Avenue Spirits, a division of The Sazerac Company. The partners hope to recruit other professional athletes and personalities to increase environmental stewardship. “The more saves, the better,” says Axinte, a lifelong soccer fan. “But you don’t have to be a goalkeeper to participate. Everyone can be a Tree-Keeper and save the forest.”
The TREE-KEEPER™ products will be available nationwide at select retailers and online. To learn more about Novo Fogo’s “Un-Endangered Forest” project visit www.novofogo.com/trees. Learn more about Novo Fogo full line of products at www.novofogo.com.
# # #
About Stefan Frei
Stefan Frei was born and raised in Switzerland and immigrated to California at the age of 15. He played college soccer at UC Berkeley, where he was named for the All-Pac-10 first team while studying classical civilizations. He then entered professional sports in the USL League 2 and eventually Major League Soccer, where he has played his entire 12-year career for just two teams: Toronto FC and the Seattle Sounders. Frei won the MLS championship title twice with Seattle, both times in finals against Toronto FC. His extra-time save against Jozy Altidore during the Dec 2016 final is considered the greatest save in MLS history and the one to make Seattle’s first title possible. Frei played for the Swiss U-15 national team, has been called into camp by the US Men’s national team, and became a US citizen in June 2017. He lives on Bainbridge Island, a short ferry ride from Seattle, with his wife Jenn and their pooches Mobley and Cloï. He designs goalkeeping gloves and paints in his home studio, and his art can be viewed at https://www.stefan24frei.com.
About Novo Fogo
Credited as a passionate advocate for sustainable practices in the spirits industry, Novo Fogo is a carbon-negative company that produces USDA-certified 100% organic cachaças at its zero-waste distillery in the small town of Morretes. The distillery and sugarcane fields are located in the heart of the largest protected patch of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, where the coastal mountains meet the sea. Novo Fogo distills fresh sugarcane juice into cachaça, Brazil’s national spirit, using methods that prioritize environmental and human sustainability. Novo Fogo cachaças reflect this coastal rainforest terroir with flavors of banana, lime blossom, coffee, and sea salt. Novo Fogo is a steward of the Atlantic Forest by planting native and threatened trees; learn more about The Un-Endangered Forest project at www.novofogo.com/trees. Extending this ethos of sustainability to its cocktail audience, Novo Fogo has been a trailblazer for sponsoring health and wellness initiatives for spirits industry members and insists that a balanced cachaça cocktail is a delightful accompaniment to an equally-balanced lifestyle. Find Your Own Brazilian ZenÔ by visiting www.novofogo.com.
About 375 Park Avenue Spirits
375 Park Avenue Spirits specializes in the premium- to luxury-spirit categories and our portfolio includes numerous expressions from leading international producers. Founded as Luctor International, LLC in 1981, 375 Park Avenue Spirits joined the Sazerac Company in early 2015 to act as an independent, yet fully integrated sales and marketing affiliate. The company is known today for creating an environment of growth for supplier partners in the domestic market for renown brands like Van Gogh Vodka from Holland, Sobieski Vodka from Poland, Cutty Sark Blended Scotch, J.P. Wiser’s Canadian Whisky, Paul John Single Malt Whisky from India, Scapegrace Gin from New Zealand, Novo Fogo Cachaça and many others. For more information on 375 Park Avenue Spirits, please visit www.375park.com.
