Standard Beverage historically has been the major sponsor of Midwest Winefest in Wichita KS. In 2019, the event excluded specific types of sponsors (restaurants, bars, etc) based on LGBT and other diverse views.    

The Midwest Wine Fest is an annual event in Wichita KS which raises funds to support the Guadalupe Clinic (a safety net clinic in the region providing health care to the uninsured population). SBC was the original founding sponsor and has been honored to be associated with this event each year since it’s launch in the mid-1990s. SBC had planned to continue our significant sponsorship for years and hopefully decades to come, and had been working on the planning efforts to ensure 2019’s event would be a success.  

Unfortunately in 2019, it was communicated to us that, unlike previous years, there would be specific types of sponsors (SBC customers) who would be excluded from this event based on LGBT and other diverse views. 

We stood firm on SBC’s long-standing policies, practices and beliefs to be “inclusive” versus “exclusive” with respect to individuals, businesses and other organizations. SBC requested to reverse their decision to exclude diverse groups, to no avail. 

While we have the greatest respect for the Guadalupe Foundation, and support their right to make such decisions, we respectfully declined our participation in the Midwest Winefest given the exclusionary practices that are now in place. 

Ryan Thurlow