Jessica Infante joined Brewbound in 2019 after nearly a decade in a variety of marketing roles in the craft beer industry. Prior to that, she was a daily newspaper reporter at the Jersey Shore. Jess holds a bachelor’s degree in magazine journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and a master’s degree in integrated marketing communication from Emerson College. She is a certified Cicerone and lives in Salem, Massachusetts.
Of the 121 regional craft beer companies beyond the top 50 — those that produce more than 15,000 barrels of beer annually and sell the majority of their volume through distribution — 67 recorded volume declines in 2020. That ratio — 55% — is a marked improvement over the 72% of top 50 craft breweries that posted volume declines.
After several accounts of sexual harassment at Worcester, Massachusetts-based Wormtown Brewery surfaced on social media in recent days, nearly all members of its ownership group have stepped down from their day-to-day roles in the company, with the exception of co-founder and brewmaster Ben Roesch, the brewery announced late Thursday.
As women from across the beer industry share stories on social media of their experiences with sexual harassment, assault and abuse in the beer and hospitality industries, it has become clear that the misogyny is widespread and being felt at all levels, from the taproom to the boardroom. Rachel Anderson, a co-founder of Indeed Brewing, said she experienced toxicity even as a co-owner. She shared her experience of being forced out of the Minneapolis-headquartered craft brewery that she helped build in an essay titled “I am a Craft Beer Casualty.”
Over the weekend, several breweries named in accounts of misogyny and misbehavior within the beer industry released statements. The leaders of Philadelphia-based Evil Genius Beer Company issued a statement on the brewery’s Instagram account on Saturday, May 22, that acknowledged past mismanagement and outlined the company’s next steps to improve its culture. Pollyanna Brewing Company, which announced the departure of former president and CEO Paul Ciciora last week, shared that it had since learned of “numerous allegations regarding Paul Ciciora and sexual misconduct.”
As more stories of workplace harassment and toxicity come to light in the craft beer industry, more companies have responded this week either terminating employees, announcing investigations, issuing apologies or statements of support for the victims. Brienne Allan has been sharing stories from the beer and restaurant industries of workplace harassment, assaults and toxicity on her Instagram account, @ratmagnet, now for the last 10 days, amounting to about 1,000 stories.
The BA is accepting grant applications on a rolling basis through November 1. The trade group’s Philanthropy and Outreach Subcommittee — a newly formed division of the organization’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee — will consider applications each month.
As allegations of sexual harassment, assault and other workplace hostilities continue to come to light on social media, the Brewers Association (BA) announced Wednesday several initiatives to combat the seemingly pervasive toxicity in the craft beer industry.
Jacob McKean, the founder and CEO of Modern Times, has resigned from his role after the San Diego craft brewery was named several times as a hostile workplace on a social media account that began sharing industry employees’ experiences of widespread sexism in the beer industry.
A chain reaction of personnel changes is beginning to course through several breweries, set off in recent days by a social media account’s mounting collection of hundreds of stories of widespread sexism in the beer industry.
Heineken and several of its subsidiaries have dropped their trademark infringement complaint against Biscayne Bay Brewing and signed a covenant not to sue the Miami-based craft brewery. “The parties have jointly agreed to resolve their trademark dispute,” a Heineken spokesperson told Brewbound.
Boston Beer Company officially announced its foray into a new frontier today: non-alcoholic cannabis-infused beverages.
Legacy Breweries, the craft brewery investment rollup led by beer industry veteran Don Bryant, has set its sights on Colorado, where its Aspen Brewing has struck a deal to acquire Capitol Creek Brewery.
The deal, which is expected to close June 1, will link Aspen-based Aspen Brewing, which Legacy acquired in 2019, and Basalt-based Capitol, giving the two craft breweries a combined 10,000 barrels of production capacity to serve both breweries’ on-site pubs.
Heineken USA today announced a pair of sports sponsorships — including the company’s first National Football League partnership — signaling the company’s ongoing interest in building its business with professional sports leagues, teams and arenas. However, the company remains embroiled in what started as a trademark infringement lawsuit and has evolved into a trade practice dispute between the Duch beer giant and Miami-based Biscayne Bay Brewing centered around the latter’s now terminated sponsorship with the Inter Miami MLS team.
Pabst president and general manager Matt Bruhn will depart the company on May 14, Pabst shared with wholesalers in an update provided to Brewbound. Bruhn’s forthcoming departure follows nearly four years at the company. He joined Pabst as chief marketing officer in November 2017 and was promoted to president and general manager in September 2018.
