FareHarbor Stories of Creativity, Innovation, and Resilience
To showcase the creativity and resiliency of our industry, we looked to our FareHarbor Ohana to find businesses that are adapting and providing fresh perspectives for coping with the current pandemic. We’ll continue to update this inspirational list with companies that are paving the way with their innovative thinking. If your business has something to share, be sure to let us know!
Badge Criteria
The Rustic Brush Gives Us a Fresh Canvas (And Perspective)
For a company that provides a social crafting experience during a time of social distancing, Tanya and the team at The Rustic Brush had to use their creativity in a different way. In order to keep customers and families engaged at home, they created take-home DIY kits containing all the necessary tools to unleash your inner artist. In addition, being a family of first responders, The Rustic Brush partnered with the Houston Food Bank to launch the Thank a Hero and Feed a Family Project through which $5 of every purchase goes to the Food Bank to help feed families at this time.
All Things Garmisch Offers A Crisp & Refreshing Bavarian Experience
At the onset of booking and changes cancellations, Jake at All Things Garmisch & Bavarian Beer Vacations went straight to Facebook Live to communicate with his customers and potential buyers quickly. After receiving a positive response from his outreach, Jake took his history of beer and natural story-telling ability online by providing brief history lessons through his social media which eventually turned into Virtual Tours. It was at one of these Virtual Tours that sparked Jake’s next idea to keep customers engaged. To cater to the beer lovers and aficionados around the world, he began connecting with the local breweries to curate weekly care packages from the unique Bavarian breweries in the area to give you truly a unique and refreshing experience.
Casanova Tours Creates Virtual Tours You Can Taste
As a local, family-owned and operated business, Giuseppe and the Casanova Tour team acted quickly to cater their tour offerings to a global audience. The solution: create an immersive experience that allows you to enjoy Venice’s beautiful culture and cuisine from the comfort of your own home. Casanova Tours offers live cooking classes that provide customers with the proper ingredients and then connects them with local chefs to make some of Italy’s most renowned dishes. The result: a unique and delicious experience that gives you a true taste of Venice.
Unlimited Biking Launches #RideItOut
We spoke to Annie Zou, Director of Sales at Unlimited Biking, about their refreshing approach to adapting their business model to support their local communities. As the largest, premier bike rental tours and experiences company in the US, Unlimited Biking found themselves with extra rental inventory on- hand amidst recent stay-at-home orders. At first, they began by giving their employees access to the bikes to help them avoid public transportation and provide an additional means of exercise. This idea quickly evolved to what is now the #RideItOut program, which allows customers to take advantage of long-term bike rentals at a discounted rate based on the local metro and subway fares in each city. The decision to pivot their business became a big hit with residents in their communities and Unlimited Biking has stated they plan to continue to program long-term.
Underground Donut Tours Supports First Responders
Jeff Woelker found a creative way to combine two of his favorite things: good donuts and a good cause. While the majority of us find ourselves in a state of self-quarantine and remote work, Woelker wanted to create awareness and build support for the first responders and individuals on the frontlines. Fueled by his passion (and consumption) of donuts, Woelker created the #DonutsForHeroes campaign, which allows you to send donuts from your local shop to another essential business. His campaign enables communities to support local donut shops while also expressing gratitude for the self-sacrifice of others. You can get involved by visiting https://www.donutsforheroes.com/
Lyon Wine Tastings Goes Virtual
Who doesn’t enjoy a good Wine Wednesday? As signs of quarantine and social distancing hinted that this could be the new norm, we spoke to Caroline Conner of Lyon Wine Tastings, who transformed her intimate, local wine tastings into online experiences. By offering free, virtual BYOB wine tastings, Conner can continue to share her passion and knowledge of wine by educating participants on wine tasting techniques, while also creating a platform that fosters interaction and engagement at a time when it’s needed the most. Her ability to quickly adapt to the changing times created social buzz that earned Conner a spotlight in the New York Times.
