Source: Black Is Beautiful / Walmart
The craft beer space has boomed over the better part of the last two decades but not necessarily for Black brewers, who just make up a scant portion of the 8,000 craft breweries nationwide. Partnering with Walmart, Weathered Souls Brewery Company and other Black breweries brought their wares to the retail giant on the heels of the Black Is Beautiful initiative launched in 2020.
Weathered Souls Brewery Company, based in San Antonio, Texas, ignited the charge for the Black Is Beautiful initiative as a collaborative project in the brewing community and their supporters. The aim of Black Is Beautiful is to create organic connections within the brewing community and to highlight the injustices suffered by people of color.
In 2020, Weathered Souls created the Black Is Beautiful stout and shared the recipe with other breweries in order to place the beer in other locations around the country with a significant portion of the proceeds going to organizations that stand tall on the pillars of social justice, diversity, and equity.
For the duration of March 2021, the Black Is Beautiful stout from Weathered Souls will be available in around 300 Walmart stores nationwide and online (if permitted in your respective states) with the assistance of eight other craft breweries. Leading this effort is Adrienne Freeman, Walmart’s craft beer merchant.
Source: Black Is Beautiful / Walmart
Freeman came across Weathered Souls founder and head brewer Marcus Baskerville’s company via a post on Instagram highlighting Black-owned companies, as seen in this blog post from Walmart. Freeman collaborated with Baskerville’s team to distribute the stout nationally and also bring visibility to a cause that goes deeper than enjoying a tasty brew.
Although the Black Is Beautiful stout will leave the storerooms of nationwide Walmart locations after its initial launch in February, the brew will be sold year-round across all 55 stores based in Texas. Walmart is also putting a spotlight on other Black-owned wine and spirits brands as well, including Black Girl Magic Wine.
To learn more about Black Is Beautiful, click here.
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Photo: Walmart/Black Is Beautiful/Weathered Souls
