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P.H.: Do you think that this kind of business model could spread to other companies?

Thum: I think that there are more and more examples of businesses like Ethos, maybe not necessarily exactly like Ethos in the way that they are constructed. Ethos is a specific example to the extent that we created a business with a very specific social purpose in mind. I think you'll find that in not only individual private startups, but also in public corporations, companies are being held to account, and even more, rewarded for socially minded behavior. Companies are trying to think carefully about how they carry out their business and how that impacts the society in which they operate.

And I think people, increasingly, are making decisions about the products and services that they want to buy based on the way that they view the corporations that they are interacting with.

P.H.: This is a chicken-or-egg question, but do you think that's because people are becoming more aware or because these types of products are more available?

Thum: You're right, that is a chicken or egg question. I don't think it's a trend. It is something that's here to stay. It's an evolutionary process, something that has started. As companies that practice sound social behavior are rewarded, other companies observe that and copy them. In a way, it's competition, which is good. If it becomes integrated into competition and people see that it's beneficial to their shareholders, then it becomes incorporated into the economic model, and it becomes sustainable.

P.H.: Where do you see Ethos going, and what does the deal with Pepsi, signed in June 2006, mean for the company?

Thum: I'd like Ethos to be a global brand that carries out its mission and affects the lives of millions of people in the developing world and the thinking of millions of consumers and people in the public in the developed world, in Europe and in Asia, so that the connectivity between those people who are consuming and those people who are benefiting increases. We signed an agreement with Pepsi for the production, distribution and marketing of Ethos Water in North America including the United States and Canada. That agreement basically includes Ethos Water as a brand in the North American Coffee Partnership, which is the joint venture between [Starbucks and Pepsi] to market ready-to-drink beverages. What this means is that Ethos Water will be a significantly larger brand than it would have been had we just sold through Starbucks stores.

P.H.: What projects have been the most successful, and what future projects are you most excited about?

Thum: It's hard for me to compare projects on terms of their success, one to the other. We've done projects in India, Honduras, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Kenya.

We've also given support to victims of the tsunami by sending water. We had an extra supply of water, there was a plane going, and we just gave them a truckload to help them fill the plane. Starbucks supplied ten thousand cases of water after Hurricane Katrina, which is a domestic activity, but we had the water available and felt it was something that was necessary for us to do to be helpful to people.

I'm proud of all those things. They're great outputs of the brand. I wouldn't compare a woman or child or man who gets water in India to someone getting it in Kenya, to the extent that I think both of those are successes. Overall, with the money that we've been able to raise and push through the foundation out to nongovernmental organizations, we'll be able to help more than 300,000 people. That is a great testament to the fact that if the customers buy the brand, the brand is doing what it promises.