A Spirit for Change Danny Lafuente ’05 is distilling RE’s mission into a revolutionary business model to feed millions – proof that giving back can be remarkably simple. By Linda Robertson The Simple Spirits company is one of the numerous brainchildren of Danny Lafuente ’05. Lafuente calls himself a serial entrepreneur, which is another way of saying he is a procreator of ideas. He’s got so many ideas that one of his most successful ventures, LAB Miami, is a nerve center for generating ideas. Simple Spirits sprang from his mind as a combination of two ideas: Sell vodka and fight hunger. Enjoy a cocktail while simultaneously giving food to someone in need. Convert vice into virtue. Today, Lafuente’s company donates the equivalent of one meal per drink to Feeding America and other hunger relief charities. Simple. No middleman, no administrative costs, no strings attached. Simple. Plus, the Russet potatoes that are the primary ingredient of Simple Vodka are grown in Idaho by farmers committed to environmentally sustainable practices. The distilling process utilizes wind power and fresh water from the Snake River aquifer, with no added sugars, artificial flavors or preservatives. Wastewater is recycled and byproducts are upcycled into animal feed. Simple. SPRING 2026 Ransom Everglades LOG 7 “We’re proud to be the first social impact brand in the industry,” Lafuente said. “Vodka accounts for about a third of all spirits sold in this country. We targeted vodka to give purpose to an everyday transaction.” Simple Spirits has donated more than one million meals since its founding. Lafuente expects to donate another million meals in 2026, based on sales projections. He could reap a higher profit margin if his simple pledge to aid the hungry weren’t engraved on every single Simple bottle. But that would contradict the values he learned during seven years as a Ransom Everglades School student. Lafuente is a believer in founder Paul Ransom’s philosophy that he and fellow graduates “are in the world not so much for what they can get out of it as for what they can put into it.” “Being educated at Ransom Everglades was a transformative experience for me,” he said. “The school played a big role in the direction of my life and it still does. Ransom Everglades is part of my DNA.” Lafuente, 38, counts Ransom Everglades alums as best friends, business partners and mentors. “I remember how we both arrived at this unique, storied institution, workingclass kids on financial aid who wanted to fit in, surrounded by talented, smart, ambitious classmates,” said Wifredo Fernandez ’05, Lafuente’s soccer teammate, University of Pennsylvania roommate and LAB Miami co-founder. caption Photos by Suzanne Kores Wifredo Fernandez ’05 and Danny Lafuente ’05 receive the 2013 Head of School’s Award for Distinguished Service to the School from then-Head of School Ellen Moceri
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