Bodhichitta Winery is new and has fresh ideas. Along the way, it's blurring the lines between business and charity.

Their slogan is “Passion for wine, compassion for others.” This translates into giving all profit to charities.

In Buddhism, Bodhichitta roughly translates as service to others or giving of oneself to others. Owner Mark Proden came up with the name of his winery after reading Pema Chodron. She writes on spirituality and coping techniques, about living in the moment, creating less brain chatter, and slowing down.

Proden said he wanted to take a risk by letting go of the security he was used to. He decided he wanted to make wine and give of himself.

During last crush, he sold t-shirts that said “Three cups of wine for three cups of tea." That fund-raiser allowed Mark to give $12,000 to the Central Asian Institution, which builds schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Their founder wrote the book “Three Cups of Tea,” hence the slogan.

An opportunity to merge his two passions, he's able to help others while using his creative and analytical skills.

In addition to the Central Asian Institution, Bodhichitta also gives to local charities like the Oregon Water Trust, The Nature Conservancy, county animal shelters including the Humane Society and various veterans’ groups.

Proden holds back nothing for himself, and all who work with him are volunteers.

Growing up on a dairy in Wisconsin, Proden developed a love of the land. After high school he poured his next eleven years into the Air Force. During that time he was both a pilot and an engineer. He also earned a master's degree in environmental studies and international relations. It was during his time as an engineer designing rockets and satellites that he decided he wanted to get back to the land and help others.

While stationed in L.A. he took a trip to Oregon and was impressed by how friendly and accommodating everyone in the wine industry was, especially compared to Napa.

In addition to starting Bodhichitta, Mark is a student in the viticulture and wine making program at Chemeketa Community College. He is finishing up his winemaking classes and moving into the viticulture classes.

Cultivating his own winemaking philosophy, Proden believes in "minimal intervention." Not a fan of additives, he prefers to control the process through planning. In the future he would love to work with native fermentation processes, but for now still uses purchased yeasts.

In addition to wine, Bodhichitta also produces lavender products. Mark says he learned about lavender at a conference he attended in Maui. It has insect-repelling properties as well as aromatherapy for relaxation and migraine/headache treatment. Mark came up with many of his formulas by adapting recipes he found in books.

Future plans for Bodhichitta include creating an incubator winery with Chemeketa which will allow students to give back while establishing private labels and pursuing their degrees.