Climate Change Interviews

Interview with Paul Evers, CEO of RIFF

October 31, 2022

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Today I am joined by Paul Evers, Co-Founder and CEO of RIFF is a celebrated veteran in brand strategy, design, and advertising. Graduating from California State University-Long Beach with a degree in fine arts, Paul has led the teams behind the creative development of craft beverage brands such as Humm Kombucha, 21st Amendment, Deschutes Brewery, Odell Brewing, and Crux Fermentation Project (which he co-founded, and served as President and CMO). Paul was involved in the complete restaging of these brands including identity, marketing, and packaging strategies design. He also led research projects, utilizing anthropological/ethnographic methodologies and coordinating with outside resources, to develop rich consumer insight in consumer research. Paul’s past experience in creative development with craft beverage brands has allowed him to develop a keen understanding of what draws consumers to craft brands, which he has used to leverage Riff. His past branding work has always been focused on developing more vibrant relationships with consumers, leading to Paul’s “consumers control all” mindset.

Having worked in craft beer for many years and having co-founded a craft brewery, Paul was interested in translating his experience in beverages to a new venture in the non-alcoholic beverage space. In 2017, Paul and a group of four others, including his son Bobby, co-founded Riff, a beverage company based out of Bend, Oregon. Riff originally started with a mission to explore 100% of the coffee plant’s agricultural value.

Soon after Paul’s research on the coffee plant, he and his team created Riff Energy+ as part of their innovation efforts to utilize, and develop, a greater demand for cascara, the nutritionally-rich, yet historically wasted byproduct of the coffee harvest.The beverage that Paul and his co-workers created has the promise of scale so they can help reduce coffee’s contribution to climate change, inject greater economic opportunities for struggling farmers, and introduce greater sustainability for the coffee industry, which is under threat due to rising temperatures.

As an active community member, Paul has guest lectured at the University of Oregon’s Lundquist School of Business’s Center for Sustainable Businesses as well as played a significant role in launching both the Bend Volunteer Corps and TEDxBend. Paul is the founding board member of Bend Volunteer Corps and co-founder, board member, and lead organizer of TEDxBend. Through these engagements, Paul has gained a strong sense of community. Paul views Riff as a community-driven brand and wants to continually work to build a tribe around the Riff brand.

With Riff, Paul’s mission is to save the world one coffee plant at a time. Paul hopes for Riff to make a global impact and be recognized as the preeminent champion, and poster child, of cascara. Riff Energy+ celebrates 100% of the coffee plant’s agricultural value while creating a sustainable and clean energy source that is good for both you and the planet.