SToK Cold Brew Canada Partners with Movember to Help Destigmatize Men’s Mental Health

TORONTO, Canada – November 2, 2020: Today, SToK Cold Brew Canada – Canada’s highest quality cold brew coffee brand – is proud to announce its partnership with Movember for the charity’s upcoming annual fundraising and awareness campaign this November. In Canada, 75 per cent of suicides are men, with one third of Canadian men stating they would not talk about their feelings if a stressful life event occurred . The impact that embedded societal stigmas can have on men’s overall wellbeing and willingness to open up in times of struggle continues to affect men across the country.

To help drive awareness surrounding the issue, SToK has worked alongside Movember to create the “Stok’ing a Conversation” campaign – a platform for individuals to share their stories, take action and come together as a community to destigmatize men’s mental health and fundraise for Movember. To bring the conversation to the forefront, SToK has partnered with two esteemed Canadian men – fashion entrepreneur and comedian Trey Richards and renowned chef Sean MacDonald – to participate in a video series for the campaign to share their personal experiences with mental health and ultimately inspire other men to open up. The videos will be shared on both brand’s social channels – @SToKColdBrewCanada and @Movember – throughout the month.

“At Stok Cold Brew Canada we are passionate about celebrating the voices of our consumer and so to be able to shine a spotlight on important topics and issues impacting our communities this became an important step in that strategy,” says Fiona O’Brien, Director of Marketing at SToK. “Our partnership with Movember is just one example of how we are leveraging our business as a source of good to help the charity drive added impact in Canada. By working with Trey Richards and Sean MacDonald, we hope to spark a meaningful conversation surrounding men’s mental health to inspire men to open up and also take a moment to check-in with a friend. Our SToK Canada teams can’t wait to join us in driving awareness and donations for the cause and we hope other Canadians will be just as inspired to do so.”

As part of its commitment, SToK Canada will also be facilitating an employee engagement program and a retail program tied to the campaign. For its employee engagement component, SToK will call on its employees – its Internal Champions – to join SToK X Movember teams to help drive awareness and raise funds for the cause. Through retail, SToK Canada will be donating $15,000 of its proceeds from November product sales to Movember. Bottles of SToK Cold Brew (available in the refrigerated aisle of most retailers across the country) will be affixed with detachable moustaches to celebrate the promotion and will be available in store starting November 1, 2020 until the end of the month.

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¹ 1A survey carried out by the Social Research Centre (and commissioned by Movember) through an online panel with 5,737 people aged 18 or older across the UK, US, Canada and Australia (approximately 1,430 respondents in each country). This included 809 men in the UK, 804 men in the US, 794 men in Canada and 806 men in Australia. Response quotas were set based on age, region and gender and the final data were weighted to reflect the profiles of each country. Fieldwork ran from 22nd April – 4th May 2020.

“We’re excited to be working alongside SToK Canada to continue bringing awareness to men’s mental health and the stigmas and barriers many men face when opening up,” says Todd Minerson, Country Director for Movember Canada. “At Movember, we are committed to encouraging men to be ‘men of more words’, to speak out and seek help when they may be struggling. Social connection and conversation are critical in ensuring men feel supported, and we’re lucky to be working with a brand that shares this same commitment to challenging social norms and encouraging men to embrace vulnerability.”

The “SToKing the Conversation” campaign will officially kick off on November 1, 2020 coinciding with the launch of Movember’s annual campaign, and run until the end of the month. To learn more about the campaign and how you can donate, visit https://movember.com/t/stokbrew. Canadians can join the conversation using #StokCanada #Movember.

About SToK Canada
SToK Cold Brew was founded on the belief that there’s a better way to do everything. Brewed low and slow, SToK believes in time and patience, not heat. SToK offers a variety of cold brews in multi-serve and single-serve formats to satisfy those who are obsessed with a growing taste for higher quality. SToK also believes in making a difference and putting sustainability and responsibility at the forefront of everything the brand commits to. From delivering more sustainable farming methods and ensuring responsibly grown coffee, to seeking out ways to support local community initiatives for the greater good, SToK puts integrity behind every investment and ingredient. For more information on SToK, visit SToKBrew.ca and join the conversation @SToKcoldbrewcanada.

About Movember
Movember is the leading charity changing the face of men’s health on a global scale, focusing on mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer. The charity raises funds to deliver innovative, breakthrough research and support programs that enable men to live happier, healthier and longer lives. Committed to disrupting the status quo, millions have joined the movement, helping fund over 1,250 projects around the world. In addition to tackling key health issues faced by men, Movember is working to encourage men to stay healthy in all areas of their life, with a focus on men staying socially connected, and becoming more open to discussing their health and significant moments in their lives. The charity’s vision is to have an everlasting impact on the face of men’s health. To donate or learn more, please visit Movember.com.

About Sean MacDonald
Sean MacDonald is a Toronto-based chef and owner of the vibrant Queen Street East Dinner & Cocktail venue, ēst Restaurant. Fresh from his recent 2018 World Ranking of #221 at “The Best Chefs Awards” in Milan, Sean is honoured to be the only Canadian Chef recognized on this exclusive world list. In 2016 he was the Canadian Representative for the San Pellegrino Young Chef Competition in Milan. The native Calgarian graduated from the Professional Cooking Program at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.

About Trey Richards
Originally from Brampton, Ontario, Trey Richards is a Toronto-based comedian, co-creator of the Random Order Podcast and the founder of 4YE – a fashion label producing bespoke headwear including durags and caps. The label takes inspiration from the community Trey lives in as a homage to his identity and roots, while pushing impactful work through considered design.

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Contact:

Meaghan Beech

NATIONAL Public Relations

mbeech@national.ca