ONEHOPE Harvest Party 2021 Recap

“It’s still amazing to me that a couple of hundred people coming together in a single night can help thousands of people they will never meet, have a better life through providing them with their basic needs. The 20+ water projects we funded will provide hope and transform 20+ communities.” Jake Kloberdanz, CEO and Founder of ONEHOPE

On September 25th, we gathered with our community near and far, virtually and in person, to celebrate the magic of the season with our annual Harvest Party. While harvest parties are common across wine country, what sets ONEHOPE’s apart is our commitment to a non-profit partner every year.

This year we partnered with charity: water to fund new clean water projects in the developing world with the goal of funding 15 new wells across Ethiopia and Madagascar. This was our first harvest party to take place at our new winery, so connecting our guests to the cause and our purpose was the motivation that brought it all to life. We are thrilled to say that our 2021 harvest party raised $317,280 for water projects—bringing our total donations to date to almost $8 million. 

In over 14 years, the 2021 Harvest Party became our largest single-day fundraiser.

Harvest Party Event Design: An Interactive Experience 

“I wanted to make sure that the cause we’d selected to benefit for 2021 was woven into every aspect of our event and design,” said ONEHOPE’s Art Director Interior + Experience Design, Megan Robinson Kloberdanz, “a life without clean water needed to be palpable to our community.”

To weave this idea throughout the event, one of the prime components was an interactive water walk, where guests were led into the barrel room via a graphic path on the floor—a ripple of water—through a drought-laden land without easy access to clean water. Guests picked up two jerry cans, weighing 80 pounds combined, to walk to the next station, a virtual reality booth at the end. Tall, dried florals that were foraged from the dry creek bed at ONEHOPE’s own vineyard and throughout Napa to border the water-walk path, visually connected guests to Africa while staying true to harvest season in Napa. PVC signage hung on recycled copper pipe frames to educate guests on the water crisis and what our partner, charity: water, has been able to do to bring clean drinking water to millions of people.

Upon reaching the virtual reality booth, a video by charity: water followed a girl whose life had been profoundly impacted by access to clean drinking water. 

“It’s primarily women and children who bear the burden of providing clean water for their families and collectively spend billions of hours per year walking for water,” Megan reiterated, “This takes them away from raising their families, getting an education, and pulling their societies out of poverty.”

Total Impact in Numbers

In total, we raised $317,280 to bring clean drinking water to thousands of people in developing countries. This included $217,280 raised for charity: water, which will bring over 5,000 people access to clean and safe drinking water, as well as $100,000 for GivePower to help fund an innovative solar water farm.

“ONEHOPE Winery sponsored all costs associated with the event,” said Kristen Shroyer, Co-Founder and Executive Vice President of Marketing and Foundation, “so we were able to donate 100% of funds raised that evening, including ticket sales.”

ONEHOPE raised $217,280 for charity: water in direct donations, table sponsorships, and ticket sales. Additionally, $100,000 was raised for GivePower to fund solar water farms in the developing world. 

Our Culinary Partner: Truffle Shuffle & Our Wine Selection 

For our culinary partner, we worked with Truffle Shuffle, who not only created the most delicious and elevated cuisine for the event that paired perfectly with our wines but also celebrated the regions we were collectively helping that night—Ethiopia and Madagascar.

While working together at The French Laundry in Napa, Truffle Shuffle founders Jason McKinney, Tyler Vorce, and Sarah Rundle fell in love with truffles and the unforgettable experience they could provide. A philanthropic company with its own give-back model, Truffle Shuffle donates a meal for every experience kit they sell and continuously supports local organizations. In 2020 alone, they proudly donated over 100,000 meals to those in need.

We were ecstatic to welcome them to the estate to offer a one-of-a-kind culinary experience to our guests, while also providing a virtual Harvest Party cooking experience for those guests who could not make the in-person event. The menu included Pan-Seared NY Strip Steak with Truffle Corn Succotash and a wine pouring of current seasonal selections that are served during our “wines and bites” experiences at the winery. These included our Fumé Blanc, El Dorado Rosé, Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon, and Russian River Pinot Noir.

A Live Performance by Philip Philips

We also welcomed Philip Philips as our musical guest for the Harvest Party. He’s been a favorite of the ONEHOPE family since his break-out performances on the 11th season of American Idol in 2012. His coronation song, “Home” not only became the best-selling song in American Idol history, but it also became our own ode to the winery as the home of our brand. 

In addition to getting the crowd excited and up on their feet, Philip auctioned off the guitar he played that night—and it was won by the husband of our very own ONEHOPE teammate.

Cleobella: A Company for Good

ONEHOPE teammates were dressed in Cleobella, who sponsored dresses and scarves for the event. Cleobella is another company for good, who gives back in various ways that include offsetting their carbon footprint, uplifting artisan women, and so much more. Their beautiful collection not only added to our design, but it coincided with our mission, too.

charity: water: A Harvest Party Q&A

To learn more about our incredible partnership with charity: water, watch this question and answer with Kristen Shroyer and Chief Global Water Officer, Christoph Gorder.

A Final Thought on Harvest

“Looking out into a crowd of people that included volunteers, teammates, investors, Cause Entrepreneurs, friends, and family was overwhelming,” Jake said, “There is nothing like coming together around wonderful food and wine, with caring people, in a beautiful place to change the world. I’m already looking forward to next year’s harvest party and I know the impact only gets bigger from here.”

To stay up to date about next year’s harvest party, subscribe to our email list and follow @onehope on Instagram. 

And to learn more about harvest, make sure to check out one of our recent video blogs here, to follow our winemaker, Mari Wells Coyle, as she embarks on a night adventure to harvest grapes from the iconic Atlas Peak AVA.

From our home to yours, thank you for helping us nourish the future for generations to come. 

With love and hope,

The ONEHOPE Team