Peter Thum – Fonderie47

 
 

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The story of an innovative company that is fighting arms proliferation in Africa by creating items of great beauty. Director and Producer: Adam Hootnick Co-Producer: Phoenix Higgins Director of Photography: Boaz Freund Editor: Federico Rosenzvit
Peter Thum is the founder of Ethos Water and Fonderie 47. Ethos Water (http://www.ethos-water.com/) is a brand of bottled water with a social mission of helping children get clean water. Fonderie 47 (http://fonderie47.com/) takes confiscated AK-47 rifles from the Democratic Republic of Congo and transforms them into ornate accessories.

Peter Thum is CEO & Co-Founder of Fonderie 47, working to stop gun violence.  He is Founder and CEO of two brands: Fonderie 47 and Liberty United; ventures that transform illegal guns into jewelry, watches, and art. In 2008, while working in Africa on water projects, Peter met boys and young men armed with assault rifles. He decided to try to do something to turn the AK47 against itself by transforming these guns into objects that were beautiful, noble and completely opposite to the gun from which they were made.  This concept has evolved into Fonderie 47. Fonderie 47 has destroyed more than 40,000 assault rifles in African war zones.  Liberty United funds programs to stop gun violence in the U.S. and focuses on making children and communities safer in neighborhoods with extreme gun violence.

Peter previously founded and was President of Ethos Water, which was acquired by Starbucks in 2005 and has provided water to some half million people worldwide.  Thum founded the non-profit Giving Water, which has helped over 6,000 schoolchildren in Africa get water and sanitation access.  He previously worked at the consulting firm McKinsey & Company and the Gallo Winery.

 
Angela Brugioni