BEVERAGE INDUSTRY INCLUSION
BEVERAGE INDUSTRY INCLUSION
Weathered Souls Brewing Cofounder Marcus Baskerville . positively influence their choice to purchase a BIPOC-owed product over another ,” Simeón says . “ Certified-minority and diverse-led companies have an edge , especially in premium and natural chains like Whole Foods and Target .”
“ On a more systemic level , it ' s going to take more than the launch and success of minority-led brands to bring about equity and inclusion in the consumer space ,” Simeón adds . “ Distributors , brokers , merchandisers and logistics partners — the entire consumer packaged goods ecosystem — are better served by carrying and supporting BIPOC-led brands .”
Simeón suggests that consumers can help lead this charge off-premise .
“ Support brands by buying their products in retail stores ,” he says . “ Shopping online is all well and good , but when you support in-store , it propels the overall infrastructure that brings lasting value to brands . And , if you don ' t find the items you want in-store , ask the store to start carrying them !”
Getting a product into retail is hard enough for all brands , of course , with extra challenges for BIPOC companies .
“ BIPOC-owned brands sometimes have to work two or three times as hard to get the same results and opportunities as non-BI- POC brands ,” says Williams of Uncle Waithley ' s . “ That ’ s why it ’ s so important that we come together and work together , because there ’ s strength in numbers .”
Williams stresses teamwork across brands . “ I always say ‘ Collaboration over competition ’, because there ’ s still such a small footprint in this category ,” he explains . “ There ’ s room for collaboration to grow each other ’ s companies naturally . Tell each other ’ s stories on social media . Black consumers love a good hero story .”
Echoing the importance of community and sharing stories is Uduimoh Umolu , founder of Jon Basil tequila . “ Our communities ' stories and cultures influence most industries , but especially ours in significant ways ,” he says . “ It ’ s important that folks from those communities are able to build and participate in significant ways as well .”
Diversity and equity in the industry will grow “ through economic opportunity ,” Umolu adds . “ Not just through brands or investing in those brands , but opportunities for folks to work , and opportunities to close the knowledge gap of what it takes to be in the industry .”
That ’ s why community building remains key in elevating Blackowned brands and BIPOC professionals .
For instance : Marcus Baskerville , co-founder of Colorado ’ s Weathered Souls Brewing , launched the Black is Beautiful brewing campaign in 2020 . Brewers nationwide participate by promoting sales of an open-source Black is Beautiful stout , adding their own takes on the beer ’ s evolving recipe . Phase two of the movement happened this summer , with 100 % of proceeds going towards the newly launched National Black Brewers Association
Uduimoh Umolu , Founder of Jon Basil .
At right : Eddie Simeón , Co-Founder and CMO of Hella Cocktail Co .
( NBBA ), which fosters inclusivity and Black representation in the brewing industry .
Like Williams , Baskerville points at initiatives like these as being good for business while also increasing equity .
“ Look at where we ’ re at : Black-owned brands represent less than 1 % right now in beer ,” Baskerville says . “ Meanwhile , the dynamics in the industry are that sales are on decline . There ’ s an untapped market in diverse crowds , something that hasn ’ t really been explored yet from a business standpoint .”
Year one of Black is Beautiful focused on cultivating commu-
8 2023 Beverage Industry Inclusion