NC's brewery expansion outpacing U.S. but industry disparities persist
The state's largest craft beer festival, Brewgaloo, is underway along Fayetteville Street and will continue Saturday. Tens of thousands of beer lovers are expected to attend the festival, which celebrates North Carolina's more than 300 breweries.
Celeste Beatty, founder and brewer of Harlem Brew, is hopeful Harlem Brew South will soon have a space among them in the state. Beatty has been brewing for over two decades.
"One of the things I love about craft beer is that it’s not just beer, it's families," said Beatty.
Beatty's brand will be Harlem Brew South is among the breweries participating in Brewgaloo's event on Saturday.
Craft beer growth in the state really began in 2015. Since then, there’s been a 260 percent increase in the number of North Carolina breweries, according to the Brewers Association. Nationwide, the growth isn't as notable, increasing about 91 percent.
Beatty says the industry is competitive but she isn't surprised that the expansion in the state outpaces the nation's.
"You have this great culture here in North Carolina that supports craft brewing, agriculture," said Beatty. "They're sort of engaged with that. I really think it’s about the experience here we create. It's about your story. How you engage the community. We have a unique way of doing that."
Beatty's brewery is leasing a space in Rocky Mount in an old Tobacco Warehouse along North Grace Street. They're refinishing the inside with hopes to bring in brewing equipment and bathrooms. Currently, the use it for community events.
She says people of color face a number of issues when it comes to business creation, like breweries. The National Black Brewers Association, which Beatty is involved with, reports less than 1% of craft brewery owners are Black.
"Historically there have been socioeconomic challenges for BIPOC people in terms of having access to capital in general," said Beatty. "That doesn't change in the craft beer space."
Beatty will be addressing the disparities at an upcoming Brewers Association conference next month. She believes investing in breweries in communities of color can be anchors for communities and spur redevelopment. But roadblocks often exist.
"We’ve got to work a little harder," said Beatty. "We have to find the resources, build the infrastructure around what it takes in our communities where there are serious challenges yet, economically. When you think about building a brewery in our communities, it’s the same sort of uphill battle we’ve had."
She says collaboration is key.
"Because of the economic barriers, there's going to have to be some really intentional gestures, partnerships between BIPOC brewers, aspiring BIPOC brewers and our brewer friends who don’t look like us," she said.
Beatty feels festivals like Brewgaloo introduce beer lovers, not only to the product, but to the people behind the brews.
"All types of people come to those festivals so it’s important for us to have a presence at the festival so people can taste the product and identify who the people are behind the brand and ask questions," she said. "What I found and what I am most excited about is that a lot of times when I am at these festivals I meet aspiring BIPOC brewers and many of them...they got into the beer business because they saw someone who looked like them at a festival."
