Why Cause Coasters?
The act of giving is exciting and meaningful. Whether that’s giving attention, lending a hand, presenting someone with a — ummm — present, or just offering of oneself creatively, there’s something natural, inherently human, and satisfying about it.
We started creating coasters a while back and maintained it as a hobby for a couple of years. What started as just chopping up some extra 4x4 scraps lying around and exploring designs turned into a more methodical quest to hone the process. We searched for the ideal wood, the best way to create unique designs (stamps), the proper inks, and the easiest way to custom-design those stamps. Trial and error and success, round and round.
The question “Why Cause Coasters"?” can really be split up into two parts. Why coasters, in general, and then why the company name, specifically.
Let’s start with why coasters, and specifically why our coasters.
First of all, coasters can come in many shapes, forms, and materials. Cause Coasters are made out of natural cedar. There are no additives to the sourced wood nor treatment to the finished product. We picked cedar for its natural resistance to moisture and weathering, and it also happens to smell and look amazing as well.
A coaster serves a functional purpose — holding our coffee, tea, soda, beer, cocktails, etc. — but they also bleed over into everyday art. Often left hanging around our bedside, desk, or coffee tables, they become part of the aesthetic of our personal and communal spaces. Whether strewn about as single pieces or stacked and ready for social company, and whether they’re needed to keep those pesky stains off surfaces or just as tiny pedestals for our imbibery, a coaster is part of our life 24/7. So whether you bought your Cause Coaster from the farmers market or were gifted it as part of corporate event, we want that part of your life to be beautiful. When it’s 3:30 pm and you’ve had a long day being a business person selling widgets, we want you to look down at your alpaca or narwhal design and think — “Oh hey there lil’ buddy!” Your coaster may not be able to balance your budget or streamline your projects, but it’ll be with you all the way.
But why Cause Coasters?
Because 10% of all net profits for our coaster sales will go to a nonprofit, or variety of nonprofits. We’re still honing in one what our first will be, but at the time of this writing, we have at least a few dollars we’d like to give someone!
A business can serve so many purposes, from creating useful and beautiful products to providing employment and enjoyment for those involved. A business can also give back, sometimes forming a positive reverse direction of our conventional extractive economics, a lifestyle that values consumption over creation. That’s why Cause Coasters tries to exist in a way that it gives back much more than it takes, and even invites its customer base and community to do the same.
In the environmental and economic worlds, we have this idea of an externality. In the cost of a burger, or a lego set, there’s a built-in suite of external costs, environmental and social, that are not incorporated into the actual price. Cause Coasters tries, whenever possible, to use the solar-generated power from our Yeti 1500X. We use only natural cedar and dye ink in our coasters, abstaining from stains or lacquers. We cover the environmental and carbon needs of each coaster by giving, on an ongoing basis, to one permanent non-profit and one rotating non-profit.
It’s also Cause Coasters because — because we can, and it’s fun and creative and we get to make something beautiful while also making connections and directing resources toward broader change.
No need to offset that upcoming holiday flight — just buy a dozen 4-packs of our coasters as gifts!
We’re excited to be embarking on this journey and will have much more to share soon! And remember folks, do NOT put your coaster in a toaster. Unless it’s unplugged, in which case it’s the apropoest place to put a coaster for storage.
Stay classy Cause Diego!
~ Your Cause Coasters Crew