Beverage Industry Inclusion
Duke & Dame Cofounders Amani Macaulay and Chima Burey .
where your mouth is , about putting people and time towards making a real change .”
Simms sees this strategy as effective not just for the Black community , but any group of people who are underrepresented .
“ We ’ re trying to build a blueprint for moving forward ,” she says . “ In order to be successful , you have to build sustainable change . We ’ re building a formula that can be replicable for other communities , too .”
Looking across the larger business world , Simms sees more work ahead .
“ There really is no American industry that has gotten it right yet ,” she says . “ It ’ s important that we shift the mindset of DEI simply being something extra that a company has to do . There ’ s a genuine disconnect with people who have good intentions , but are not linking that up with actual impact .”
Nonetheless , she is proud of how far the alcohol industry has come with regards to the mission . Earlier this year , The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States ( DISCUS ) partnered with Pronghorn this year to increase hiring from within the Black community among leading spirits suppliers .
“ I ’ m humbled and impressed with how the industry is working with us and DISCUS to make a difference ,” Simms says . “ I applaud Diageo , where the last two CFOs in a row now have been a woman . They ’ re doing it for real , and the results are showing .”
GROWING BRANDS Pronghorn has identified 11 areas in which new alcohol entrepreneurs need help . The company is dedicated to helping grow emerging , minority-led brands by offering advice and investment . The company ’ s 10-year plan includes the goal of investing in 57 Black-owned brands .
This is indicative of a movement currently underway among successful Black leaders in the industry . Those who have already made it are reaching back to help guide the next wave of entrepreneurs .
Duke & Dame is a salted caramel flavored whiskey brand that began business in 2018 . Cofounders Chima Burey and Amani Macaulay have used their success to help others .
“ We want to be a beacon for other people who want to be in the industry ,” Macaulay says . “ We ’ re always approached by other people who want to be in the industry but don ’ t know how .”
“ When we were starting out , we got awesome advice from people already in the industry , but none of these people looked like us ,” Burey says . “ Advice from anyone in the industry is great , but it ’ s very helpful when that person can also understand the full struggles of what you ’ re going through .”
The duo behind Duke & Dame now offers their expertise to others who face similar challenges starting out . This helps build towards a more equitable future .
“ Historically , whiskey has been an industry dominated by non-minorities ,” says Burey . “ But within the whiskey space , there ’ s a long tradition of African Americans playing a large role at the onset of the industry . Slaves and former slaves worked for these early distilleries . Unfortunately , much of that history has been lost .”
“ Now , there ’ s a movement to instill that history back into the industry ,” he adds , “ to pay homage to the trailblazers .”
One such trailblazer who has finally gotten his due in modern times is Nathan Green . Known as Uncle Nearest , he was born into slavery and later freed after the Civil War . In the late 19th century , Green became the first African American master distiller on record in the U . S . while working at a preacher ’ s distillery near Lynchburg , TN . Here , he mentored a young Jack Daniel , including lessons on the charcoal-filtering process — a specialty of Green ’ s .
Daniel would later hire three of Green ’ s sons when the protégé opened his own distillery . Seven generations of Green ’ s descendants eventually worked at Jack Daniel Distillery . Despite this remarkable legacy , though , few people outside of Lynchburg had ever heard about Green . His momentous accomplishments had been swept into the dustpan of history in American whiskey .
Thanks to an investigative article published by the New York Times in 2016 , Green finally received his long-overdue recognition . Brown-Forman officially recognized him as its first master distiller in 2017 . Tours at the Jack Daniel ' s Visitors Center now include a large exhibit about this American whiskey trailblazer .
Green ’ s legacy also continues with the whiskey brand named after him . Founded by the entrepreneur , historian and author Fawn
Investors behind Lobos 1707 include LeBron James , Maverick Carter and Draymond Green .
10 2022 Beverage Industry Inclusion