Business

Black Owned Craft Beer Brand Launched By Beny Ashburn and Teo Hunter

CHARLESTON CHRONICLE — The first three craft beers under the Crowns & Hops brand are set to launch Spring 2019.

Published

5 years ago

March 9, 2019

By The Charleston Chronicle

Beny Ashburn and Teo Hunter, the co-founders of Dope & Dank, a craft beer lifestyle brand focused on curating immersive experiences that bridge communities of color, culture and craft beer, announce the launch of Crowns & Hops, their new craft beer brand. Crowns & Hops is a natural extension and actualization of the Dope & Dank lifestyle brand, and the movements #BlackPeopleLoveBeer and #BrownPeopleLoveBeer.

The dynamic duo that Time Magazine deemed responsible for “Changing the Face of Beer” in 2018, are taking their experience as change agents in craft beer culture to another level with an unprecedented partnership with Scotland-based craft brewer – BrewDog. In October 2018, it was announced that Hunter and Ashburn will be the first beneficiaries of BrewDog’s revamped development fund, an initiative that sees BrewDog helping small craft breweries, brands and start-up businesses get established. In addition to financial support BrewDog will provide material support to brewers such as help with sourcing ingredients and brewing materials, offering its state-of-the-art laboratory for beer analysis and supporting sales growth by introducing recipients to its international sales network. BrewDog will also brew Crowns & Hops alongside its own headliner beers in their brewery locations of Columbus, Ohio and Ellon Scotland for global distribution.

The Crowns & Hops brand will introduce artisanal craft beer to a more diverse community with merchandise, brewpubs and taprooms around the world. Together, Hunter and Ashburn are on a mission to shine a light on the lack of diversity in the global craft beer culture. They will develop concrete steps to open the industry to more diverse audiences and challenge ingrained stereotypes that black and brown people don’t drink craft beer.

Currently, there are plans to open the first flagship brewery and restaurant in Inglewood California, the heart of one of America’s most culturally rich communities for people of color. In an effort to preserve the cultural significance of Inglewood, California and make the Crowns & Hops flagship brewery a reality, funding for the project will be raised through a global crowdfunding campaign in 2019. The campaign launches on the Indiegogo crowdfunding platform on March 6. The investors of this crowdfunding effort will be known as the “Crowns & Hops Crew”, the physical collective of all community brand investors who share the passion and goals for authentic cultural representation in craft beer.

“We’ve grown weary of asking for our presence to be acknowledged in a community that has never truly embraced us. So instead of waiting for it to happen organically, we’re doing it ourselves, and creating a community that will become a mecca for those that are searching for it.”- Teo Hunter

“The time is now for cultural ownership! Responsible, authentic culture curated for the people by the people. We are thrilled to partner with BrewDog to help make this vision a reality.” – Beny Ashburn

“Beny and Teo’s passion for changing the world of craft beer is infectious. The Crowns & Hops movement is inspiring brewers, bars, and beer enthusiasts around the world to take an honest and critical look at the ways craft beer culture has consciously and unconsciously excluded people of color. When I first met them, I was completely blown away by how unapologetic and uncompromising they are, and it opened my own eyes to a very serious issue we have in craft beer. It’s these qualities that made us such great partners, and I can’t wait to see what they can achieve with BrewDog’s support.” – James Watt, BrewDog cofounder

The first three craft beers under the Crowns & Hops brand are set to launch Spring 2019 (A Pilsner, IPA and a Stout). The company will be launching a series of tasting experiences, events and festivals across the United States and the U.K. giving the public and investors an opportunity to try their new craft beer.

This article originally appeared in the Charleston Chronicle.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

PRESSROOM: NABJ’s Call for Diversity at CNN Grows

Don't Miss

COMMENTARY: America and Drug Addiction In Our Community

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of May 8 – 14, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May May 8 – 14, 2024

Published

18 hours ago

May 10, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Bay Area

Mayor Breed Proposes Waiving City Fees for Night Markets, Block Parties, Farmers’ Markets, Other Outdoor Community Events

Mayor London N. Breed introduced legislation on April 26 to encourage and expand outdoor community events. The first will waive City fees for certain events, making them less costly to produce. The second will simplify the health permitting for special event food vendors through the creation of an annual permit. Both pieces of legislation are part of the Mayor’s broader initiative to bring vibrancy and entertainment to San Francisco’s public right of ways and spaces.

Published

7 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Outdoor community events are integral to San Francisco’s vibrant culture and sense of community. iStock image.

Mayor’s Press Office

Mayor London N. Breed introduced legislation on April 26 to encourage and expand outdoor community events.

The first will waive City fees for certain events, making them less costly to produce. The second will simplify the health permitting for special event food vendors through the creation of an annual permit. Both pieces of legislation are part of the Mayor’s broader initiative to bring vibrancy and entertainment to San Francisco’s public right of ways and spaces.

Outdoor community events are integral to San Francisco’s vibrant culture and sense of community. These events include night markets, neighborhood block parties and farmers markets, and bolster the City’s economy by supporting local businesses and attracting tourists eager to experience San Francisco’s unique charm and food scene.

They offer residents, workers and visitors, opportunities to engage with local artists, musicians, and food vendors while enjoying the San Francisco’s stunning outdoor spaces and commercial corridors.

The legislation will allow for more and new community gatherings and for local food vendors to benefit from the City’s revitalization.

“San Francisco is alive when our streets are filled with festivals, markets, and community events,” said Breed. “As a city we can cut fees and streamline rules so our communities can bring joy and excitement into our streets and help revitalize San Francisco.”

Fee Waiver Legislation

The events that can take advantage of the new fee waivers are those that are free and open to the public, occupy three or fewer city blocks, take place between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m., and have the appropriate permitting from the ISCOTT and the Entertainment Commission.

The applicant must be a San Francisco based non-profit, small business, Community Benefit District, Business Improvement District, or a neighborhood or merchant association. Fees eligible for waiver include any application, permit, and inspection/staffing fees from San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, Department of Public Health, Fire Department, Entertainment Commission, and Police Department.

Currently, it can cost roughly anywhere between $500-$10,000 to obtain permits for organized events or fairs, depending on its size and scope. Organizations and businesses are limited to a maximum of 12 events in one calendar year for which they can receive these fee waivers.

Food Vendor Streamlining Legislation

The second piece of legislation introduced will help special event food vendors easily participate in multiple events throughout the year with a new, cost-effective annual food permit. Food vendors who participate in multiple events at multiple locations throughout the year will no longer need to obtain a separate permit for each event. Instead, special event food vendors will be able to apply and pay for a single annual permit all at once.

“Many successful food businesses either begin as pop-up vendors or participate in special events to grow their business,” says Katy Tang, Director of the Office of Small Business. “Giving them the option for an annual special event food permit saves them time and money.”

Currently, food vendors are required to get a Temporary Food Facility (TFF) permit from the Department of Public Health (DPH) in order to participate in a special event, among permits from other departments.

Currently, each special event requires a new permit from DPH ranging from $124-$244, depending on the type of food being prepared and sold. Last year, DPH issued over 1,500 individual TFF permits. With the new annual permit, food vendors selling at more than four to six events each year will benefit from hundreds of dollars in savings and time saved from fewer bureaucratic processes.

“This legislation is a step in the right direction to make it easier for food vendors like me to participate in citywide events,” said Dontaye Ball, owner of Gumbo Social. “It saves on time, money and makes it more effective. It also creates a level of equity.”

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Bay Area

Faces Around the Bay: Sidney Carey

Sidney Carey was born in Dallas, Texas. He moved with his family to West Oakland as a baby. His sister is deceased; one brother lives in Oakland. Carey was the Choir Director at Trinity Missionary Baptist Church for 18 years.

Published

7 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Courtesy of Sidney Lane.

By Barbara Fluhrer

Sidney Carey was born in Dallas, Texas. He moved with his family to West Oakland as a baby. His sister is deceased; one brother lives in Oakland.

Carey was the Choir Director at Trinity Missionary Baptist Church for 18 years.

He graduated from McClymonds High with a scholarship in cosmetology and was the first African American to complete a nine-month course at the first Black Beauty School in Oakland: Charm Beauty College.

He earned his License, and then attended U.C., earning a secondary teaching credential. With his Instructors License, he went on to teach at Laney College, San Mateo College, Skyline and Universal Beauty College in Pinole, among others.

Carey was the first African American hair stylist at Joseph and I. Magnin department store in Oakland and in San Francisco, where he managed the hair stylist department, Shear Heaven.

In 2009, he quit teaching and was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure. He was 60 and “too old for a heart transplant”. His doctors at California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) went to court and fought successfully for his right to receive a transplant. One day, he received a call from CPMC, “Be here in one hour.” He underwent a transplant with a heart from a 25-year- old man in Vienna, Austria

Two years later, Carey resumed teaching at Laney College, finally retiring in 2012.

Now, he’s slowed down and comfortable in a Senior Residence in Berkeley, but still manages to fit his 6/4” frame in his 2002 Toyota and drive to family gatherings in Oakland and San Leandro and an occasional Four Seasons Arts concert.

He does his own shopping and cooking and uses Para Transit to keep constant doctor appointments while keeping up with anti-rejection meds. He often travels with doctors as a model of a successful heart-transplant plant recipient: 14 years.

Carey says, “I’m blessed” and, to the youth, “Don’t give up on your dreams!”