Buy an exotic beer, donate to its country of origin

If a painless donation process is the key to a successful charity drive, then Australia’s Shebeen bar has surely found the ideal approach. Rather than requiring that patrons write a check or click through a donation site online, the bar simply asks that they drink an exotic beer or glass of wine. Each time they do, a donation is make to the beverage’s country of origin. Though it’s not yet open — it’s coming “soon(ish),” according to its website — Shebeen bills itself as a nonprofit bar. A variety of beers and wines from the developing world will be sold at the Melbourne venue, and profits from each drink sale will support a development project in that drink’s country of origin. So, “buying an Ethiopian beer guarantees a microfinance loan for someone in Ethiopia. Buying a Vietnamese beer provides a street kid in Hanoi with hospitality training,” the site explains. Shebeen is currently in the process of securing its startup funding, and it invites both investments and donations to its own cause in the meantime. One to get involved with in Australia — or to emulate somewhere else? (Related: More donations to charity via rounded-up credit card purchases — With every box of dog food, a meal for a homeless pet — Buy a bottle of wine and donate clean water.) Company URL: www.shebeen.com.au Spotted by: Caralee Caldwell