Sedona Prince Tackles Coffee’s “Dirty Secret”, Environmental Advocacy

• Oregon’s Sedona prince is just as well-known because of her activism as for her athletics.
• Famously, the Ducks player turned TikTok star unveiled the weight-room discrepancies at 2021 NCAA tourney.
• Prince is now the Chief Customer Officer for Riff. Riff is a brand that reimagines coffee’s impact on the environment.

Sedona Prince can be found everywhere: in the classroom, on the court, at Final Four and WNBA Draft, as well as on TV screens and For You Pages throughout the country.

She is a 6-foot-7 TikTok and Oregon Ducks basketball player who puts her values first, no matter where she goes. It is obvious that Prince, who uses she/they pronouns, would also advocate for their cause as they venture into the boardroom.

Liberty Hill, Texas native, 21, is joining Riff, a brand that reimagines coffee’s environmental impact, as an equity partner and Chief Community Officer. She will be working with Vernon Davis, Super Bowl champion, to help Riff build its branding and promote smallholder coffee farmers.

Prince stated to Insider, “I’ve always been passionate about advocacy and activism, so the fact I’m now able to do that now and make a difference with such a large platform is really, really cool.” “It’s impactful. It’s impactful.

They said, “It is pretty dope.”

Riff is a small business located just down the road from campus. Riff uses the whole coffee plant to harvest the beans and eliminate significant amounts of waste. Riff uses the beans for cold-brew and the cascara, the nutrient rich fruit component of the plant, to create America’s first carbon neutral energy drink. This has allowed the planet to be saved while also creating new revenue streams to coffee farmers who often struggle for fair wages.

Prince, who has “always had an intense passion for the environment” and grew-up “wanting to become a zoologist,” was immediately drawn to Riff’s efforts to combat climate change. Prince, a vocal champion of equality, especially after the brand famously highlighted the disparities between the men and women’s NCAA tournaments, wanted to be part the brand’s efforts in helping small farmers increase their income.

“Sedona sent a huge wave across the country over the bold statement that she made [at the 2021 NCAA tournament]Paul Evers, Riff CEO, said that this was the case. “And at Riff our whole thing is about integrity. We are willing to tell the truth about the ‘coffee’s dirty little secret ‘…. The big coffee brands won’t tell the truth. So [we’re]Not only is it a negative environmental impact, but it also affects the lives of others. [the fact that]80% of the world’s coffee is grown in smallholder farms that struggle to make a living.

He said, “Sedona has such a powerful voice” and was willing to challenge the status quo. “But she’s also a lot of fun. It’s a great partnership. It’s a strong cultural alignment.”

Prince’s partnership was driven by activism, but Prince also found the opportunity to fully immerse herself in the business end of the venture.

Many college athletes have taken advantage of the NCAA’s loosening Name, Image and Likeness rules by posting social media for brands, but only a few are “really doing things such as investing and becoming a part companies that they believe in,” she said.

Prince is one of the few lucky ones with Riff.

She said, “These partnerships where they get to be part of the company and where I help grow it and they can also mentor us, was something I really, really wanted.” “Especially for something I had such passion in, which is environmental conservation.”

Prince stated, “Hopefully I get a chance to be part of it as much and then travel around and see these farms where we can observe what’s going down firsthand.”

Prince knows that they are just as well-known for activism as for their athletic prowess. She was the catalyst for the national reckoning that forced NCAA to reevaluate their approach to gender equality. Since then, Prince has been a symbol of progress in sports.

While was last month Filming a VideoPrince was a spokesperson for women’s sport media brand Togethxr during the Final Four in Minneapolis. A father-daughter pair ran into the star and the father explained through tears that his daughter, 14, found courage to be gay after being inspired and comforted by the life Prince leads.

Prince knows that influence comes with a lot of responsibility. Prince and his NIL work are viewed in the same way. Partnering with purpose-driven brands is a natural extension to their activist role.

Prince stated that he tries to advocate for people who are unable to have a voice or cannot be heard. “It’s a big responsibility that I try to be clear in every aspect of advocacy, which is not always easy.

She added, “But with that it’s so cool.” “I get to show people student athletes can speak out. They can speak out on matters that aren’t just sports related, which is awesome. I want to help athletes break down the barriers, build their platforms, and then, you know what, find the best ways for them to be used for things they are passionate about.