Kristi Shafer_American Licorice_BWKristi Shafer
Vice President of Marketing
 
Turning to Corporate Social Responsibility
The American Licorice Company, maker of Sour Punch candy, continues to broaden the scope of corporate social responsibility, reaching far beyond substantial efforts to lessen its impact on the natural environment with programs to support the local community.
 
As an extension of the brand’s innate desire to use its purpose for good, Sour Punch has embarked on a mission to spread the message of self-love and the act of celebrating our differences with the renewed brand purpose of “Embrace Your Punch.”
 
In partnership with Olympic athlete and motivational speaker, Norris Frederick, alongside the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana, Sour Punch has embarked on a mission with the collective goal of making a positive impact in the lives of our youth. Launched as a grassroots community effort to address the alarming suicide rate among Indiana’s youth, a state ranking as the nation’s second highest region for teen suicide, the brand is spreading the message of embracing differences and sparking a conversation about self-love to resonate with youth throughout the country. 
 
“Our team has been working with Norris and Boys & Girls Club of GNWI to capture the essence of self-love and inspiration that comes from community support and investing in our youth,” Shafer said. “We all have a responsibility to make this world a better place. We’re on a quest to deliver important, long-lasting impact through a message of self-love. The overarching goal is to align the brand message with the company’s core values, one which is compassion. Sour Punch has an important message from the heart: “Embrace what makes you unique and appreciate the differences in others!”
 
We will continue to push ourselves to think outside the box, finding additional ways to deliver positivity and happiness.