Wasabi Gives Back: Our Approach to Corporate Social Responsibility

Wasabi has reached several significant milestones lately, but something we are extraordinarily proud of is formally kicking off our corporate social responsibility (CSR) platform. To us, CSR is not just another corporate buzzword. We took our time and due diligence to create a program that can genuinely drive positive outcomes in our communities while staying authentic to who we are as a company and what we value. For us, that means being stewards of our communities and embracing the creativity upon which Wasabi was founded.

One of our top priorities for our CSR program was to develop ongoing community engagement with our strategic partners like the Boston Bruins. When we set out on these partnerships, we ensure they each include a CSR component. Our current community engagement has important causes like veteran support, female empowerment, education, and storage donations. For example, this summer, we participated in the annual Run to Home Base to support veteran causes. Just last week, we participated in STEM Day at Fenway Park, which hosted 2,800 students for the day to teach them about science and technology careers. We’ve also sponsored Girls Hockey Day in partnership with the Boston Bruins Foundation to increase access to sports for young girls across New England.

“It's super special to be able to have this event for these young girls.”

Check out all the sights and sounds from Girls Hockey Day at @tdgarden!#NHLBruins | @wasabi_cloud pic.twitter.com/V6JouyfkjM

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 29, 2022

Another way we are making our CSR program unique to Wasabi is through programming centered around the arts. Music is core to our company’s foundation and creative spirit. After all, our co-founder and CEO, David Friend, started in the music business, so when we had the chance, we jumped at the opportunity to be involved with programs that use music as a venue for education and healing. Wasabi’s arts-based CSR platform – what we call Wasabi Center Stage – builds off his legacy to bring the power of music and the arts to those who need it worldwide.

In July, we launched the Red Hot Beats program with our partners at the LFC Foundation to provide music education and therapy to young students in the Liverpool area who may struggle with mental health or confidence. We also relished becoming a founding partner of the new MGM Music Hall at Fenway. In the future, we hope to see the MGM Hall used to help emerging artists from Berklee College of Music, New England Arts Academy, and all across New England for other charitable endeavors.

In addition to the positive impact we can create with these programs, it’s been amazing to see how invested Wasabi employees are in these causes. Many enthusiastic volunteers represent Wasabi to the community and enjoy contributing to something larger than themselves.

We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished on the Corporate Social Responsibility front in a short time, but there’s much more to come. We’ll continue to work with our partners and the communities around us to make a real difference – in true Wasabi style.