Minocqua Marketplace aggregates 80+ vendors who've pledged not to fund MAGA candidates. A Kickstarter campaign is funding its national relaunch.
Consumer boycotts have a long history but a mixed track record. They tend to burn hot and fizzle fast, undone by the inconvenience of figuring out which companies deserve your cash and which don't. Minocqua Brewing Company, a small Wisconsin brewery that's loudly and proudly progressive, aims to solve that problem with Minocqua Marketplace. The e-commerce platform aggregates products from over 80 vendors who've pledged not to financially support MAGA-aligned candidates. The brewery recently launched a Kickstarter campaign and just crossed the USD 125,000 mark with over 1,300 backers.
Planned features include product comparison tools that display a marketplace item alongside its equivalent from a MAGA-aligned retailer, a barcode-scanning function that lets shoppers check products in physical stores for their political affiliations, and a "Certified Progressive" badge system developed with Goods Unite Us. The goal is to reduce the friction that typically kills boycott momentum. Founder Kirk Bangstad, who self-funded the initial build with brewery profits after failing to secure venture capital, is framing the relaunch as economic resistance infrastructure rather than just another online store.
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Minocqua Marketplace is responding to a specific need: "Help me align my money with my values. Simply, confidently and without hours of research." For brands watching from the sidelines, the takeaway is that consumers want transparency about where their money ends up, and the companies that can provide that clarity (or partner with platforms that do) may find themselves with a durable competitive advantage. Boycotts and buycotts aren't new, but platforms that systematize them — complete with verified donation data and real-time product alternatives — represent a shift from symbolic gestures to operational infrastructure.