{"id":18607,"date":"2021-01-20T08:00:39","date_gmt":"2021-01-20T16:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bcaletrail.ca\/?p=18607"},"modified":"2022-03-22T13:12:53","modified_gmt":"2022-03-22T20:12:53","slug":"diversity-in-brewing-in-bc-craft-beer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bcaletrail.ca\/diversity-in-brewing-in-bc-craft-beer\/","title":{"rendered":"Diversity in Brewing Journey: A personal examination of diversity and inclusion in BC Craft Beer"},"content":{"rendered":"

As for many others, 2020 was a difficult year for me filled with big changes. The killing of George Floyd happened as I was (literally) flat on my back \u2014 the toll of stress physically manifested itself in a thrown back and I felt unable to do anything physically, emotionally, or mentally to process what was happening.<\/p>\n

\"Meghan
Meghan Fulton (she\/her) is a co-founder of the Diversity in Brewing initiative<\/a> and works at Strange Fellows Brewing<\/a> in Vancouver, BC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Flashback to a little over five years ago when I was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed entering British Columbia\u2019s craft beer industry. I was a university student working at an unnamed giant coffee corporation \u2014 I applied on a whim to a craigslist advertisement for a tasting room position and found myself scrambling when I was hired.<\/p>\n

I went from a working environment that crossed over many intersections of diversity including people of different physical abilities, sexualities, genders, and ethnicities, to one where no one (to my knowledge)\u00a0 seemed to stray from the cis-het whiteness that I had observed in the brewing world but never really considered before. As my education and awareness developed, I began to notice trends I found frustrating in my new industry \u2014 the sexualization of my body, the othering of my race, the assumptions of me fitting into the predetermined role of a woman in beer and leaving my life experiences, values, and morals at the door.<\/p>\n

As I began to grow more comfortable in myself as a \u201cbeer person,\u201d I found friends and allies that I could in part express these frustrations to, but there always seemed to be a limit to what my (majority) cis-het white peers felt comfortable hearing. I often felt alone \u2014 there wasn\u2019t anyone I worked with who looked like me and, as a result, I had to hear and experience things I did not feel like I had the voice or power to stand up against.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Meghan
Meghan Fulton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I grieved alone for the loss of many to violence \u2014 there were no conversations around the murder of Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, the third wave of Ferguson protests, the formation of Black Lives Matter. It often felt that two significant parts of my life, craft beer and blackness, could never work together and would always have to remain separate parts of my identity.<\/p>\n

Something changed last year. On June 2, I woke up to a social media feed filled with black squares. Restaurants, breweries, friends, colleagues, musicians, companies \u2014 everyone I followed \u2014 had opted to join in on Blackout Tuesday, something I had not even heard of.<\/p>\n

I still do not know why the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery were the spark for change and conversations in my industry. Black Lives Matter and Black Peoples, Indigenous Peoples, and People of Colour (BIPOC) had been talking about police brutality, systemic racism, and white supremacy for all of my conscious life \u2014 but suddenly there was a shift in acceptance of these realities by the general populace. I saw action, learning, affirmation \u2014 I saw people I would have never imagined in my wildest dreams for the first time believing the experiences of marginalized peoples.<\/p>\n

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A post shared by Diversity In Brewing (@diversityinbrewing)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Then came Diversity in Brewing<\/a> (DIB). In all honesty, I was hesitant to join. I was burnt out, tired, fatigued, stressed, any word you can think of to describe exhaustion. I did not want to commit myself to doing the work with a collective because, before that moment, I could not have thought of a way for craft beer and diversity and inclusion to work together. But, considering my struggles as a marginalized person within an industry that did not reflect people that looked like me, how could I not want to work towards something better?<\/p>\n

Diversity in Brewing Scholarship<\/h3>\n

A scholarship with Kwantlen Polytechnic University<\/a> (KPU) for their brewing program was the Diversity in Brewing’s initial goal. In the end, 39 different breweries in B.C. donated to the 2020\/2021 scholarship and committed to an annual donation to keep the momentum rolling. So, even if the conversation around Black Lives Matter became muted, there would still be tangible benefits to BIPOC and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Two Spirit, and more (LGBTQ2S+) folks. Acknowledging that the work is not done and there is still a long road ahead, I feel tremendous pride and privilege to have been a part of an initiative that has helped three students (so far).<\/p>\n

Without hammering too hard on the oft-stated assertion of 2020 being the pits (which it was), the conversations and hope that I\u2019ve had with the scholarship recipients have been uplifting, educational, and inspiring. I had the absolute pleasure of speaking to the scholarship recipients about their experiences with the beer industry and schooling so far. Each of the students were in no way new to beer, with industry experience, homebrewing experience, brewing association memberships, and a true love for craft beer.<\/p>\n

\"Nishant
Nishant Amin, Diversity in Brewing Scholarship winner at KPU Brewing<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nishant Amin<\/strong>, originally from Mumbai, India, refers to himself as \u201ca regular person who came [to Canada] to fulfil my dream of being a brewer.\u201d Nishant\u2019s experience as a newcomer comes with an impressive resume of work as an Industrial Engineer and a Bachelor\u2019s Degree in Production Engineering. \u201cComing from a different culture and educational background has helped guide interactions in the industry in a very fruitful and positive way,” he said. “People have been open to listening to my views and ideas when it comes to contributing to the craft of making beer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nishant\u2019s unique and fresh views in regard to brewing have been well received:<\/p>\n

\u201cI am happy to inform that the industry has accepted me without making any distinction of where I am from or who I am… so that\u2019s a great start.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As an international student, the scholarship has helped reduce his burden of tuition fees.<\/p>\n

Amin added: \u201cIt has probably set a platform for others like me (by that I mean a person from a country like India where brewing is not considered to be a primary career option on a larger scale) to pursue their dreams beyond the kaleidoscope of just a few career options laid out in front of them, especially since they know they could be recognized and helped in the road to what they would want to achieve.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jasper
Jasper Bautista at KPU Brewing<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jasper Bautista<\/strong> got interested in craft beer in 2015. “Craft beer was rapidly growing and I fell in love with the business and production of crafting beer. I always thought that maybe one day I could be a brewer and own my own microbrewery. So in 2019, I decided to jump ships and dive into the craft beer industry.”<\/p>\n

“My experience at KPU has been great,” Bautista continued. “The teachers at KPU really give their best to help students understand the technical parts of brewing. The knowledge and precision needed to be a technical-commercial craft brewer isn’t a light subject to overlook and the program at KPU delivers all the important parts needed to succeed in the craft beer industry.”<\/p>\n

\"Jasper
Jasper Bautista at KPU Brewing<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bautista said he hopes to own his own microbrewery one day, a unique place that serves tapas along with craft beer. “I want to shift the culture and target the hip hop and basketball community.”<\/p>\n

Bautista added that he is very proud and honoured to receive this award.<\/p>\n

“The Diversity in Brewing scholarship is an amazing initiative that stands for social justice. To know that the craft beer industry is here to support BIPOC and LGBTQS+ gives me hope that our world is adapting and making changes to social injustices. Cheers to the industry and to all the people that love craft beer. Together we can make a difference.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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\"Alex
Alex Paul, Diversity in Brewing scholarship recipient at KPU<\/a> (photo: Matt Law)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Alex Paul<\/strong> was already interested in beer before he enrolled in the Brewing and Brewery Operations program at KPU. This semester will be his final one and he\u2019s already a packaging wizard and brewery assistant at Mariner Brewing in Coquitlam. Diving into the beer industry was not without its hurdles though. \u201cI was slightly hesitant to leave my management job of 13 years to enter into the beer industry,” he said. “Beer is something I’m very passionate about, but it always seemed like such a cis-straight bro industry, and I wasn’t sure how welcoming it would be.”<\/p>\n

“However, since entering the program I’ve had very positive experiences! My teachers and classmates are lovely and accepting and everyone I’ve met in the industry [has] been welcoming and fun! I’m having the best time of my life.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In regards to his level of comfortability regarding his sexuality, Alex said, \u201cI generally try to play it cool and calm with people I am just meeting, but it is hard to hide all this fabulousness, so that never lasts long. I have found so many accepting people, so being my authentic self from the get-go is coming much easier to me the more time I spend in the industry. I love the feeling of working in a small craft brewery where I can be part of the whole process.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Alex
Alex Paul, KPU Brewing<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Alex\u2019s reflections on the Diversity in Brewing scholarship are poignant. \u201cThe value of the scholarship far exceeds the monetary award I was given,” he said. “Just the effect on the beer community of having a scholarship that embraces diversity from the LBGTQ+ and BIPOC communities is huge. Seeing all the breweries who supported this award and were proud to post that they were contributors opened my eyes that inclusivity is more widespread than I had initially thought entering into this industry. I hope that this scholarship entices even more diverse groups of people to enter the brewing program, and therefore the industry, as those are the people I want to work with in the future!\u201d<\/p>\n

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A post shared by Diversity In Brewing (@diversityinbrewing)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n