Jessup Marion of Wine to Water

As a wine buyer, I attend quite a number of wine-related events — meeting winemakers touting their newest labels, hearing about breakthrough production methods, chatting about the latest trends, and the like. Rarely am I truly caught off guard by the story of an organization and its impact on the industry and society.

A few weeks ago, I attended the book release for Rock and Vine: Next Generation Changemakers in America’s Wine Country, by Chelsea Prince. The book is thoughtful and insightful, and full of lovely photos and tidbits about some rising stars in the U.S. wine industry. Many interesting people were in attendance, from the winemakers interviewed in the book to a myriad of press and wine trade folks from different organizations throughout San Francisco.

But one person and the company he represented caught and held my attention for the entire evening. His name is Jessup Marion, and his company is Wine to Water.

After speaking to Jessup for quite some time, I realized the story of Wine to Water needed to be broadcast. That night was the first time I had ever encountered this organization, and I’m sure many (especially on the West Coast) have never heard a word about it either.

Jessup, the acting Wine Director of Wine to Water, related the story of the company’s founding and its goal of giving the more fortunate people in the world an opportunity to change the lives of the less fortunate by bringing them one of the most basic needs for health and happiness: clean running water.

Wine to Water began as a dream in the mind of Doc Hendley, a bartender in Raleigh, North Carolina. After dropping out of college, while working in various restaurants, this self-proclaimed “rough around the edges” biker learned of the water crisis happening around the world. Nearly one billion people worldwide do not have access to clean water. Hendley decided to do something about it.

According to Hendley, “When the idea came to me to start Wine To Water, the only real world job experience I had was tending bar. I dreamed of building an organization that fought water related death and disease using completely different methods than anyone else. So I started raising money to fight this water epidemic the best way I knew how, by pouring wine and playing music.” He hosted his first charity event in North Carolina in 2004.

Using funds from the event he began traveling. His first stop was Darfur, where he installed water systems and educated the locals to ensure they were able to run the systems themselves. In 2007, Wine to Water officially became a charitable organization that now has operated in Darfur, Khartoum, Uganda, New Delhi, Phnom Penh, Peru, Ethiopia, South Africa, and Haiti. Wine to Water distributes ceramic filters, digs wells, and installs running water systems in drought-affected areas, while providing the requisite education to the population to keep the supply of clean water available.

The company is funded through donations, events, and a private wine label. For each bottle sold, $7 goes back to Wine to Water to provide support for its international projects. If you’re in the San Francisco area and would like to help raise some funding, join us at my wine bar, The Barrel Room, for our Wine to Water charity event in the next few weeks. (For more information, subscribe to our email list or drop us a note at info@barrelroomsf.com.)