4 SUPPLIERS EMBRACE DEI
6 Q & A : MIKE MCGREW OF CONSTELLATION BRANDS
9 THE BRANDS BEHIND MEANINGFUL CHANGE
12 WOMEN ’ S WORK
15 DISTILLERS MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN DEI
THE ROI OF DEI
PROMOTING DIVERSITY , EQUITY AND INCLUSION ( DEI ) in the workplace isn ’ t just a nice thing to do ; it ’ s a business imperative these days . While the beverage alcohol industry has been traditionally slow to embrace diversity , change is finally coming .
The # MeToo and Time ’ s Up movements , along with the racial unrest and protests of 2020 and the numerous changes unleashed by the pandemic , have all helped bring about substantive DEI discussions and developments . It ’ s been encouraging to see several industry leaders and groups taking charge .
For instance , Women of the Vine & Spirits hired RAINN to develop Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response Training specifically for the beverage alcohol industry , with financial support for the trainings provided by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States ( DISCUS ) and Wine & Spirits
Wholesalers of America ( WSWA ).
Pronghorn , a company dedicated to cultivating the next generation of diverse founders , executive leaders and entrepreneurs in the alcohol industry , launched in 2021 with Diageo as the anchor investor . DISCUS partnered with Pronghorn earlier this year to increase hiring from within the Black community among leading spirits suppliers .
Boston wine retailer Urban Grape in 2020 launched the Urban Grape Wine Studies Award for Students of Color at Boston University . This supports members of the Black , Indigenous and People of Color ( BIPOC ) communities interested in careers in the wine industry .
And alcohol e-commerce shop Drizly in August announced its “ Sip with Purpose ” program to support and drive growth of brands owned by members of historically underrepresented groups in the beverage alcohol industry .
These are just a few of the recent industry initiatives to promote DEI . You can read about more programs and efforts in this special DEI supplement .
DEI is not about buzzwords or checking boxes to seem “ woke ,” but something that workers want to see in their employers and that consumers want to see in the brands and products they support . As Remy Drabkin , proprietor of Remy Wine , says in “ Women ’ s Work ” on page 12 , “ Diverse companies are stronger companies , and diverse companies are better able to weather economic downturns .”
Cheers to that .
Melissa Dowling Editor
Table of Contents
4 SUPPLIERS EMBRACE DEI
A look at some programs that beverage alcohol industry suppliers have launched to encourage and celebrate diversity , equity and inclusion
6 Q & A : MIKE MCGREW OF CONSTELLATION BRANDS
The beverage alcohol giant ’ s chief diversity officer shares the company ’ s DEI objectives and strategies
9 THE BRANDS BEHIND MEANINGFUL CHANGE
The rise of brands with diverse ownership reflects the industry ’ s fresh emphasis on DEI By Kyle Swartz
12 WOMEN ’ S WORK
How female founders and executives are reshaping the beverage alcohol business By Melissa Dowling
15 DISTILLERS MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN DEI
Craft distilleries that operate on the foundation of a diverse and informed workforce By Jamie Stafford
2022 Beverage Industry Inclusion 3