Minocqua, WI – The Minocqua Brewing Company today announced the launch of a national Kickstarter campaign to expand the Minocqua Marketplace, an online platform designed to help consumers boycott corporations that financially support MAGA extremism and authoritarian politics.
Founded by brewery owner and activist Kirk Bangstad, the Minocqua Marketplace connects consumers with businesses that have pledged never to donate to MAGA-aligned political causes. The Kickstarter campaign aims to raise $150,000 to scale the platform into a full-service, affordable alternative for everyday consumer goods—described by Bangstad as an “Amazon for Progressives.”
“Boycotts and labor action are the most powerful non-violent tools available to the public when democratic norms are under threat,” said Bangstad. “If free and fair elections are not guaranteed, economic pressure becomes essential. This platform is about making principled consumer action easy, affordable, and effective.”
Bangstad began developing the Minocqua Marketplace in 2024 after reading an essay by Harvard Kennedy School professor Erica Chenoweth on pro-democracy organizing under autocratic conditions. The project launched last April with just six partner companies. Today, the marketplace includes more than 90 partner businesses, offering over 4,000 products from companies that have pledged not to fund MAGA extremism.
Despite early traction, Bangstad says traditional investors have been hesitant to fund the project.
“I was told repeatedly that e-commerce wasn’t a ‘hot investment’ right now—AI was,” Bangstad said. “But democracy is the hottest investment there is. Without it, nothing else matters.”
The campaign is being supported by a coalition of progressive business owners and entertainers, including Mike Draper, owner of Midwest-based apparel company Raygun, and comedians Steve Hofstetter, Mary Mack, and Cliff Cash, among others. Supporters will appear throughout February promoting the campaign to their audiences.
“This is a time-sensitive effort,” Bangstad said. “Waiting for traditional investors isn’t an option when the stakes are this high. The working class and small business community have always been the ones to defend democracy—and this is no different.”
The campaign’s goal is to fully scale the marketplace ahead of the 2026 elections, making sustained, large-scale boycotts possible nationwide.
About the Minocqua Brewing Company
The Minocqua Brewing Company has become a strong progressive voice in Northern Wisconsin, drawing thousands of tourists from across the country to our historic taproom in downtown Minocqua. They have also opened a “home away from home” location on the west side of Madison. More information is available at: MinocquaBrewingCompany.com.
