North Drinkware is based in Oregon, creates landscape-inspired tumblers and pint glasses, and is passionate about giving back. The company generously donates a portion of sales from their Teton collection to the Foundation through their partnership with 1% For The Planet. We recently had the opportunity to learn more about the origin of their brand, why they care about wild landscapes, and their vision for giving back to the places they love.
Tell us a little about North Drinkware and the company’s connection to Grand Teton.
We are a small team based in Oregon that finds creative and authentic ways to bring the mountains into your home. All of our products are proudly made in the USA and feature accurate data of mountains around the country. We started in 2015 on Kickstarter with our hand blown Mt. Hood Pint glass featuring USGS data of Mt. Hood in the base. From the beginning, we had big plans to expand to all of the regions in the US that have iconic peaks that inspire so many people. As we expanded beyond the Pacific Northwest, the Tetons were such a clear opportunity. The iconic range just draws you in and it's been such an inspiring place for us for decades. https://northdrinkware.com/collections/wyoming-collection
What motivates your business practices and where do you see North Drinkware headed in the future?
Honesty, authenticity, and transparency really inspire our business practices...and obviously the mountains. We work with amazing partners that are nearly all based in and around Portland, Oregon and manufacture every part of our product from the glass to the paper packaging locally. Having this close connection allows us to have honest and personal relationships with our suppliers. We work with accurate 3D data of the iconic mountains in our products and are always finding new ways to integrate truly authentic stories into our brand. Our interview with Jeremy Jones and Alex Yoder are a few examples of how that continues to come to life. Our transparency to showcase our process, partners, and finding ways to give back to the regions and mountains that inspire us is a driving force as well. As we look to the future, we're looking for more creative ways to bring the mountains home. This may be through new locations and new product categories...you'll need to stay tuned to see what's next. northdrinkware.com/subscribe
Tell us about the process for creating your hand-blown Teton glassware.
The process is everything. Making hand-blown glass takes years of experience and a totally custom process. It requires more than 15 steps over the course of 2 days to make just one of our Teton glasses. This process is repeated hundreds of times a day by our team of artisans in Portland, Oregon for our patented designs.
Why did North Drinkware decide to join forces with 1% for the Planet and donate a portion of its sales to Grand Teton National Park Foundation?
Giving back has always been a core to our brand. As we grew to new regions, we debated the best way to give back to each place that we celebrate in our products. The amazing team at 1% for the Planet has such a robust global network of partners—it was an obvious way for us to align our giveback strategy to the amazing work they do to support groups like Grand Teton National Park Foundation and so many others. When we were looking at which groups to partner with in Wyoming for our Teton glass, GTNPF stood out as such an inspiring group that blends conservation, access, and education. The Foundation is a true steward of the region and we're so thankful to be able to support however we can. At the end of the year, we give 1% of our gross sales back to non-profits in each region that we highlight in our products...this way every Teton glass purchased gives back to GTNPF. It is an avenue to authentically support the mountains and natural resources surrounding them in the most honest and transparent way possible.
Thank you, North Drinkware! We are grateful for your support and partnership.
