You're (Not) Welcome Here – Episode 10: Agritourism with John Kluge
In episode 10, Jaclyn Yost and Dr. Kelly Cerialo talk to John Kluge, co-founder of Thistlerock Mead Company – a net-zero mission driven mead and honey company. In this episode, John talks about Charlottesville as a destination, agritourism in Southern Virginia, and the path towards becoming the first net-zero meadery in the nation. p.s. – despite the name of the podcast, you are all very welcome here. For more information, follow along our journey: https://www.ecomadic.com/ https://www.yourenotwelcomeherepodcast.com/ https://www.instagram.com/ecomadic/ https://www.tiktok.com/@ecomadictravel Intro Song Credit: Jesus of Babylon - Yalla Arabia -------- Speaker Bio: John Kluge is a social entrepreneur and impact investor dedicated to building more sustainable, just, and inclusive economies. He is the Founder and Senior Advisor at the Refugee Investment Network (RIN), the first impact investing and blended finance collaborative dedicated to long-term solutions to forced migration. At the RIN, Mr. Kluge has co-led the development of strategy, programs, and partnerships that are building the field of 'refugee and migration lens' investing, as well as leading RIN's fieldwork in Mexico and Jordan. He is currently working on a book on inclusive economies and refugee lens investing. In 2022, Mr. Kluge launched a refugee-lens social enterprise, Thistlerock Mead Company (TMC) which combines ancient honey wine fermentation practices with modern regenerative agriculture to protect pollinators and conserve native ecosystems while supporting the livelihoods of women, minority, and refugee beekeepers in the U.S. and in emerging markets around the world. As a trustee of Babson College, Mr. Kluge helped lead the investment committee's first exploration of ESG and DEI efforts, and currently serves as a Director for the Norwegian Refugee Council USA, a Director for the US-Mexico Foundation, and as an Advisor to the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream. He is the co-author of the book, Charity & Philanthropy for Dummies (Wylie, 2013), the author of John Kluge: Stories (Columbia University Press, 2008) and has written about the intersection of business and social impact for Forbes and Conscious Company Magazine. Mr. Kluge holds a B.A. from Columbia University, an MBA from the Babson F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business, and a Certificate of Blended Finance from the University of Zurich. Additional links: https://www.route231.com/ https://www.thistlerockmead.com/ https://www.lubanziwines.com/ https://www.stolpmanvineyards.com/Wine/La-Cuadrilla To connect: https://www.thistlerockmead.com/ https://www.instagram.com/thistlerockmead/ https://twitter.com/thistlerockmead
