New Orleans-based Cajun Fire Brewing is the new owner of a 20-barrel brewhouse.
The National Black Brewers Association (NB2A) and Russian River Brewing Company announced the donation of a 20-barrel brewhouse by the California craft brewery at an April press conference during the Brewers Association’s Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) in Las Vegas. Russian River used the brewhouse for more than two decades, brewing some of its iconic beers, including Pliny the Younger.
The donation was part of the NB2A’s Equipment Donation Grant Program, which awards Black-owned breweries “the tools they need to maximize productivity and sustain their businesses,” according to a press release.
Grant applications were assessed from May through June by a “dedicated task force,” with recipients chosen “based on criteria designed to identify those who could most benefit from these life-changing donations.”
The program was started in 2023 after a brewhouse donation to the NB2A by New Jersey-based Triumph Brewing. The brewhouse was later given to Harlem Brewing founder Celeste Beatty, allowing her to move forward with a new location in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
“When Triumph Brewing offered us a brewhouse they no longer needed, asking if we knew of a Black brewery that could use it, it became clear just how much need there was,” NB2A executive director Kevin Asato said in the release. “We didn’t just know of one brewery – we knew of many.
“This highlighted a critical issue: Most Black breweries in the country are forced to operate under a contract brewing model, where another brewery uses their recipes to create their beers,” he continued. “This is often due to the systemic challenges Black entrepreneurs face in accessing the capital needed to invest in their own equipment and facilities.”
Cajun Fire was founded in 2011 “with a mission centered on brewing for socioeconomic change,” according to the release. Cajun Fire CEO Jon L. Renthrope is also a member of the NB2A’s board of directors.
The new brewhouse will help Cajun Fire increase its production capabilities domestically and abroad, and increase operational efficiency, “marking a significant milestone in its growth trajectory.”
“This invaluable support will empower my family-owned brand to expand our brewing capabilities and further our mission of ‘Brewing for socioeconomic change one pint at a time,’” Renthrope said in the release. “The impact this consideration and donation will have on the communities we serve will be truly exceptional and will ultimately aid in our organization’s efforts in the creation of pathways of generational wealth.
“Anyone that has opened or owned their own business knows that along the way you need some help from others as well as a little luck,” Russian River co-owner Vinnie Cilurzo said in the release. “Over the 30 years I have been in the beer business, there have been plenty of friends and acquaintances who have helped me and our business. It just felt like the right thing to do to pay it forward with our old brewhouse.
“I also hope that us donating our old brewhouse will inspire others to maybe take the same steps as they upgrade equipment,” he continued. “We want Jon to know we are here to support him with any help he and his team may need as they reinstall it and get going on the first brews on our old equipment. Maybe even one day Natalie and I can get out for a collaboration with Cajun Fire!”
Additionally, Optimism Brewing has donated a canning line that has been awarded to Montclair, New Jersey-based Montclair Brewery.
Decade-old Montclair is “in the midst of an expansion,” with plans to double its system operations and triple its production capacity, according to the release. The canning line will be used at a second New Jersey location, helping the company expand distribution into new markets.
“Knowing that the NB2A’s main mission is to empower and support the growth and development of Black-owned breweries, and now being able to tangibly benefit from that makes me proud to be a part of NB2A,” said Montclair co-founder Leo Sawadogo. “I’ve already promoted the benefits that the organization offers and now I can speak about it from a more personal perspective.”
“When I look at equipment that we own, I see our hard work, but I also see the embodiment of generations of advantages,” Optimism co-founder Gay Gilmore said in the release. “Sure, we could have sold our canning machine and put a much larger dollar amount on our balance sheet than what this tax deduction will net, but this equipment transfer will mean so much more to Montclair than those dollar signs ever will. We had a big leg up, and now we are giving someone else that same help.”
Montclair co-founder Denise Ford Sawadogo is also a member of the NB2A board. The brewery produced 550 barrels of beer in 2023, according to the Brewers Association (BA) in the May/June issue of New Brewer Magazine.
Cajun Fire production data was not published by the BA.