In August 2019, the U.S.-based
Brewers Association released its Brewery
Operations Benchmarking Survey, which
revealed that – similar to craft beer consumers
themselves – “brewery employees
are disproportionately white relative
to both the general U.S. population and
where breweries are located.”
In addition, the survey found that production
staff are mostly male and of the
breweries owned by one gender, 96 per cent
had male owners.
None of this is news to Toronto-based
Ren Navarro, who worked as a beer sales rep
for years and was one of the co-founders and
former co-organizer of the Society of Beer
Drinking Ladies, which organizes monthly
events for female-identifying people who
want to drink beer in a relaxing, low-key
environment.
“I did a lot of media stuff for the group
and over time, people would ask me, ‘How
does it feel to be a black woman in beer?’
“That was a weird lightbulb moment,”
Navarro told Poured Canada. “I had never
thought about it, but then it became the
only thing I could think about.”
If that realization was the fuel, the
spark that ignited her desire to drive change
was an invitation to speak about beer and
diversity at a local co-operative farm.
That was a year and a half ago, and
one thing has naturally led to another.
Navarro – who offers a unique perspective
as a queer black woman in the industry
– created Beer.Diversity., which aims
to educate restaurants about the wide
range of Canadian brews and holds
workshops with various organizations to
discuss ideas for diversifying the largely
homogenous industry.
A high school friend designed a logo
for the Beer.Diversity. website, and Navarro
addressed 110 people at her first talk.
“It’s about getting people who wouldn’t
necessarily think about beer to think about
beer, so broadening our markets or trying to
address the issue of not having diversity in
that workforce,” she said.
To Navarro, beer is the great equalizer.
Anyone of age can drink it and it
doesn’t matter “what you look like or who
you are.”
Since she founded Beer.Diversity.,
she has travelled to various places to talk
about how to create a more diverse community
in beer. One of her most important
messages is that diversity is not just
about people of colour.
“It’s also about women, Aboriginal
groups, LGBTQ+, immigrants. It’s so much
more. You can have diversity, but it doesn’t
necessarily mean you have inclusion,” she
said. “If people work there and feel they’re
just there so you can check off a box, where
is the inclusion? It’s not just about paying
lip service.”
Branching out
A more diverse beer industry creates a better
experience for the consumer, Navarro
believes. There’s a financial aspect to it, too.
H U M A N R E S O U R C E S
“Do you want to make more money?
Because groups of people you aren’t
thinking about are currently drinking beer.
But they’re not drinking yours. And you
definitely want a piece of that pie.”
As Navarro sees it, the beauty of the
beer industry is that “a well-crafted lager is
pretty universal – you don’t have to create
a special beer just for one group of people.”
She recommends that brewers looking
to diversify both their customer base and
their staff composition should first do their
homework. Never make assumptions about
the market – poll your customers when
possible to find out what they like about
your beer.
“Think of the people you want to
attract. Are they in the tap room with you? If
not, the first step is to get that group of people
to come and enjoy your product. That’s
how you end up getting people to apply for
jobs and diversifying your staff. It’s about
reaching out to the community.”
Beer.Diversity. workshops create a
space where people can ask questions about
diversity-related topics. Navarro said progress
is being made, in baby steps, but people
are noticing that breweries are trying to
make a change. New groups of people are
starting to show up in Canada’s taprooms.
“Seeing that breweries are doing
more work with their communities or
are picking charities that are for different
groups of people – that’s progress. There
are even some brewers using ingredients
that are not traditionally in craft beer –
Indigenous ingredients, for example, like
cattails and sumac.”
Navarro says she hopes to take her
message of diversity in beer across Canada
to see how other provinces are addressing
the issue. She’s also working closely with fellow
advocates in the U.S.
After she’s done a presentation, she
said the biggest reward comes from the conversations
that follow.
“I love hearing people say they never
thought of it that way. Sometimes people
think of diversity almost as a chore, but it’s
easier than you think. The other thing I’m
saying to them is that I want people who are
already here in beer to stay and enjoy it. We
just want to make some room.”
Navarro has one final piece of advice
for beer advocates: “There is too much negativity
on social media. Do one positive post
on a beer you’ve tried and focus on the good!
Tell people about the great experiences
you’ve had.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF KYLA ZANARDI
Ren Navarro, creator of Beer.Diversity.
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