Over the last week, as profiled in Paste Magazine, VinePair, Brewbound, among others, there have been accounts of widespread sexism in the beer industry. What started with one post on a personal Instagram account, has culminated in a tidal wave of women in the industry sharing their experiences. Brienne Allan (@ratmagnet) had the courage to speak up and invite others to do so as well, and in the ensuing days multitudes of women have come forward with their own stories.
In our industry only 4% of women are CEOs, brewmasters or sales people. As a female-led company, Owl’s Brew has a responsibility to shine a light on these words that have been silenced for too long.
We initially launched the Wise Women Collective with the vision to provide a network created for women by women, committed to the idea that women belong in all areas of business. We believe that by creating an inclusive environment that provides support, encouragement and opportunities to women of all ages and demographics, together, we can create change. Right now, that means bringing this conversation to the forefront of our own community.
The Brewers Association released their own statement this week, acknowledging the need to come together as a larger group and work towards driving change with other industry leaders and subject matter experts. Joining The Brewers Association (BA) is the American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC), the Craft Beer HR Professionals Group (CBHR), the Master Brewers Association of the Americas (MBAA), and the Pink Boots Society (PBS) in forming “a coalition to explore how our organizations can collaborate to provide the resources and support that businesses and individuals in the brewing industry need to create and maintain a culture of safety, inclusion, and equity.” This is an important step in the right direction and Owl’s Brew will support these efforts however we can.
Brienne’s social media following has grown from 2,000 to over 50k and climbing. Please follow @ratmagnet on Instagram for updates or to join the conversation. As this develops, we will provide opportunities for support and share more information on our own social media channels. Please share any resources or charities that you think might be useful as well, and we’ll update this post with those as well.
Let this be a moment to spark change. #wisewomencollective
Warmly,
