Beer connoisseurs who want to try out (and enjoy!) a locallymade brew and support both a new business and a local charity that provides support for parents of newborns now have the opportunity to do all of that.
Citrus Kiss is now available at Celebration Brewing Company, recently opened near the World Drive and Interstate 4 interchange in the growing “Celebration suburbs”. It’s on tap, and a portion of the proceeds from its sales will be donated to Healthy Start Coalition of Osceola County, which works to assist new parents and access to newborn care.
Healthy Start is this year’s charitable partner with Experience Kissimmee, Osceola County’s tourism marketing arm.
“The community awareness it’s already brought to our organization is a blessing,” said Kerri Stephen, Health Start Coalition of Osceola County Executive Director. “And it’s a unique way for the community– who aren’t pregnant–to give back in a fun way. And it leads to discussions about making good choices during pregnancy.”
Jason Holic, Experience Kissimmee’s Chief of Destination Stewardship, said EK’s Kissimmee Cares committee gathered recently to pick Healthy Start as its annual charity recipient. Through that, the unique partnership has grown, and the parenting advocacy group will receive support through it and Experience Kissimmee’s annual charity golf tournament in May.
“I met with Frank (Lozito, Celebration Brewing Co-Owner), and after we talked we thought, ‘What if we could bring the brewery in with our selected non-profit, and make some of the proceeds align?’” Holic said. “It’s one of the opportunities we have to uplift a local charity.
Lozito said he was happy to pair a new local product–a beer with a very citrus-y taste that is as much as a mimosa in flavor than a beer–with a way to help those starting parenthood in Osceola County.
“This has been an amazing experience from the beginning with an idea to give back to the community,” he said. “For the beer, we wanted something easy and drinkable for pretty much everyone, and create a childfriendly place where folks can bring the whole family.”
Experience Kissimmee CEO D.T. Minich is no stranger to doing unique things to market Kissimmee as a tourist destination on a national and global level. Now, his team is taking efforts to a local level, to help local parents in a social, tasty way.
“We’re just really thrilled to partner with Celebration Brewing Company and we encourage everyone to come out and try a Citrus Kiss, it’s a great local beer with an orange kind of kick, and Frank has done a wonderful job,” Minich said. “I love the concept, it’s a really unique way to get the community and visitors involved. We wanted the beer to have a local twist to it, and it’s turned into a fun way to get the charity involved.”
