Cheers to Student Scholarships

Like many of our favorite moments, Forever Dutch^® Lager came together because of Central College connections.

When Mary Benedict, director of engagement at Central, sat down with BJ Stokesbary, a donor and friend of the college, she had no idea how big his ideas would be. A year after their initial meeting, Forever Dutch Lager is now available for purchase at retail locations in Pella. A beer with a big purpose, Central continues to raise the bar with local connections and creative ways to build connections among the Central family.

Tap In

Partner and CEO of ATI Group, Stokesbary is passionate about engaging in and supporting the Pella community. Interested in finding new ways to support the community, his newly formed connection with Benedict provided the avenue he was searching for.

“A big thing that everyone always talks about is having a takeaway for people who come to Pella,” Stokesbary says. “People want a keepsake that says Pella on it. That was the impetus for Pella Hops, to have some sort of takeaway.”

The novelty of a tourist town like Pella provides opportunities to showcase local products differently. With this in mind, Stokesbary created Pella Hops Co. as a way to promote the Pella community.

“Pella Hops is a tool to bring people and ideas together, all while giving back to the community,” he shares. “I knew we wanted to do more things like this. I’m passionate about Pella and Central, so it was just a matter of determining how.”

His meeting with Benedict opened the door to a new opportunity.

“When I met with Mary, we talked about how we’d seen other colleges create beers that only support athletics,” he says. “We wanted to serve a higher mission. I thought it was a long shot, but it would be so cool to create a Central beer.”

“It was the first time BJ and I had met,” Benedict says. “He was so open to supporting Central, first as a Homecoming sponsor and then asking if we were open to creating a Central beer. It just seemed right.”

For an idea that came as a surprise to Benedict, it quickly grew into an opportunity to do good. With leadership at Central on board, Stokesbary recommended the brewery he wanted to work with: Gezellig Brewing Company.

Owned by Mindi Vanden Bosch and Betsy Duffy, Gezellig is based out of Newton, Iowa. Both Vanden Bosch and Duffy are local to Pella, and their long-standing connection with the community made them the perfect fit.

“We’re a small brewery, and one of the benefits of that is we can be nimble,” Duffy shares. “There was an additional amount of pride working on this beer because it belongs to my community.”

“Gezellig is a woman-owned business and they’re doing really amazing things,” Stokesbary adds. “What better partnership than to work with people who care about the community and are making great beer.”

Raise the Bar

The local connections established for this project made all the difference. With strong partners in Vanden Bosch, Duffy and Stokesbary, Central staff members knew the outcome would mean more to the Central and Pella communities.

“Anyone can put a logo on a material good. We wanted it to mean more,” says Steffanie Bonnstetter, director of communications and marketing at Central. “Gezellig isn’t a random brewery we selected. To have a meaningful local partnership with people that care about the strength of this community is huge.”

“BJ really felt this was a good match and that we had the strength in our brand and in community support that people would rally and be really excited about it,” she continues. “That’s a huge compliment.”

State universities in Iowa have college beers, but the proceeds support athletics. While establishing the foundation for Forever Dutch Lager, the Central team knew they could do better.

“It was important to all of us that the project resulted in something positive for our campus community,” Bonnstetter shares. “I made the suggestion that a percentage of beer sales should be donated to the Journey Scholarship.”

“The Journey Scholarship Fund is fantastic,” Duffy says. “If we can help students in any way to work toward their education and learning, that’s a huge gift. As the person who shows up every day and knows everything about the business, it’s easy to do the mental math and say, ‘Yeah, we can do that.’”

Thanks to Gezellig’s generosity, 15% of sales from Forever Dutch Lager are donated in support of the Journey Scholarship Fund. Completely funded by donors, Central’s goal is to award every student with a Journey Scholarship.

Hopping to It

As the team determined logistics, a timeline presented itself. Decisions were being made throughout the summer, and the next time a large group of alumni would be on campus would be Homecoming — which was only a few short months away.

“We wanted to launch at a time that made sense and would offer an opportunity for our community to come together to celebrate. Homecoming was perfect,” Bonnstetter shares. “With our short timeline, there was not a lot of room for us to hesitate.”

Melody VanderLeest, senior content strategist — design/art director at Central, brought her connections and expertise to the project. A former designer for Gezellig, she was the perfect person to create artwork for Forever Dutch Lager.

“Having a history with Gezellig, I know their brand. Their labels are so fun to look at and usually have lots of color and design,” VanderLeest says. “We wanted something that stood out among the craziness of the cans on the shelf. Central’s brand is very clean. We’re grateful to have such a vibrant color as our main color.”

“We had a lot of support from Betsy to make sure we were meeting the standard,” Bonnstetter says. “I think the bold use of red on our can helps us stand out. Red’s our best friend.”

VanderLeest mocked up a handful of label options, and the decision was unanimous. “We went with what we are: Bright red and proud.”

Success is Brewing

The specific beer Gezellig recommended for Central was the perfect choice to ensure it reached a wider audience. “I knew that it needed to be a beer we could sell,” Duffy says. “The flavor needed to be very approachable.”

“Based on Gezellig’s recommendation, we decided on a lager because it’s universally friendly,” Bonnstetter says. “It’s nice to show people that a craft beer from a small brewery has a flavor that’s friendly for anyone to enjoy.”

Using footage from Gezellig’s first canning of Forever Dutch Lager, Central’s communications team began to share social media posts hinting at the upcoming announcement.

“The strategy meetings our communications team had were exciting because it was a new type of project for Central and for our team,” Bonnstetter says. “It allowed for a new level of creativity because there was going to be a reveal. It was fun to strategize dropping previews to capture people’s interest.”

The project became a whispered rumor among those in the know. Despite the secrecy around the early stages of the project, local partners were slowly introduced to the idea. In order to be successful with a launch at Homecoming, retailers in Pella had to carry and sell the beer throughout Homecoming weekend. Bonnstetter, Benedict and Duffy collaborated to approach Pella stores and restaurants. It took time to organize, but the Pella community was eager to rally behind the exciting idea. Everyone who was approached wanted to carry the beer.

“When we walked through the doors of local businesses and asked them to carry the beer, everyone agreed almost immediately,” Bonnstetter says. “It’s a great testament to the support the community provides to Central. The support we have here is so special.”

On Sept. 15, 2023, the college announced Forever Dutch Lager. The first Iowa private college to partner with a local brewery, Central received immediate media attention and was featured by WHO13, the Oskaloosa Herald, Des Moines Business Record and other media outlets.

The project had a fast turnaround, but the launch was smooth. Central’s communications team had prepared assets to feature the community ties, donation back to student scholarships and the ways the beer would benefit the entire community. From posts on social media to posters in Pella stores, Forever Dutch Lager was a major feature of Homecoming weekend.

“For an idea that was a bit surprising at first, everything came together seamlessly,” Bonnstetter admits.

“The beer was meant to bring a love for Central together in a new way to create community and do good,” Stokesbary says. “It’s been really exciting to see what the idea has grown into.”

Once the announcement was made, Forever Dutch was available in Pella for purchase. Central’s Homecoming weekend kicked off with golf outings, happy hours and reunions, and everyone wanted a taste.

“You can create all kinds of things, but how do you create something that people actually want to consume?” Stokesbary says. “You know you’re doing something right when you go to Main Street Markt or Hy-Vee and you can only buy one of them.”

Cheers to a Good Cause

Throughout Homecoming weekend, alumni could be found purchasing and enjoying Forever Dutch Lager. With the bright red can, it was impossible to miss.

“It was fun to see how excited everyone was,” Benedict says. “To see everyone enjoy the beer and then go get another one was great. We loved all the photo ops of people with their beer!”

“It’s been fun to watch alumni,” Bonnstetter agrees. “There’s a look of pride when they see the can for the first time.”

The timing of the launch was perfect. With the biggest crowd of alumni back on campus during the weekend, the moment allowed for more people to enjoy a beverage that supported something near and dear to their hearts.

“The biggest thing people love is that it’s going to scholarships for any Central student,” Benedict says. “People are proud their alma mater has a beer and they’re doing good with it. They’re supporting students.”

The Saturday of Homecoming was a hot day, and the Post-game Party on campus sold out of Central’s beer — along with multiple local retailers. Alumni were enjoying a refreshing drink that supports an important cause.

“There are so many amazing things that Central already does for Homecoming and the beer was a great compliment,” Stokesbary says. “To see the success when it sold out so quickly during Homecoming weekend was amazing.”

One month after Homecoming, Central received the first check. A full Journey Scholarship was funded with only one month of sales. Months later, multiple Journey Scholarships have been funded just by sales of Forever Dutch Lager.

“It’s the power of the Central family!” Bonnstetter says. “They rally bigger and prouder than anybody else.”

“It’s an honor to see what we can do to support students,” she continues. “Central wants to continue finding new ways to provide more for our students and make Central an affordable option for each of them. This is a really unique way to do that.”

Central continues to show the ways it supports students, alumni and the community. By supporting scholarships and building local partnerships, Central believes in doing good for others so they can do good in the world.

Forever Dutch Lager is available for purchase at limited Central events and in Pella — and this is only the beginning. “We have our own beer,” Benedict says. “What can we do next?”

You can directly support the Journey Scholarship Fund by visiting central.edu/give or contacting the Advancement Office.

Are you a business owner interested in a sponsorship opportunity or have a product with which you’d like to partner with Central? Let’s talk! Please call 641-628-5154 and ask for Michelle Wilkie, director of development.