THE PATH TO 13%
A stark fact at the heart of craft beer is that fewer than 1% of breweries are Black-owned. In 2020, the brand launched its non-profit “8 Trill Pils Initiative,” which focused on taking actionable steps to provide capital, resources, and opportunities for Black-owned craft beer brands. Through the initiative, they raised a $100,000 development fund which they awarded to five Black-owned craft beer brands in December 2020. With the 8 Trill Initiative, Crowns aims to provide financial support and resources to Black-owned craft breweries to help achieve 13% Black-owned breweries in the beer industry.
This year, they’ve partnered with Allagash Brewing to make Cur-8, a crisp and tasty blend of Crowns & Hops 8 Trill Pils and Allagash Curieux, with all proceeds going towards Crowns’ 8 Trill Initiative.
INGLEWOOD COMMUNITY
Crowns isn’t just stopping with the 8 Trill Pils Initiative. They have an eye on an old recreation center in Inglewood, Hunter’s hometown, with plans to re-establish it as the family-friendly community space it was previously. With a target date of this fall, the 14,400-square-foot space will feature an on-site brewery, full service restaurant and communal meeting space designed by Ashburn and Hunter as a place for the community to gather and feel welcome, see and feel themselves inside their culture.
In an interview with LAWeekly, Ashburn said, “We can be the first to set the tone for what those family friendly community spaces should look and feel like. It was really important for us to come into the neighborhood where Teo was born and reach out to the residents,” she continues, “People don’t always understand exactly what a brewery is, so it was important for us to share with them that it’s not just a space to consume alcohol. We have a community outreach program and we personally went door to door to all of our neighbors that are close to the establishment, introduced ourselves and answered questions they might have. It’s owned by a Black man and a Black woman, and we are part of this community.”
Crowns makes it a point to remind people that they are deserving of the very best products and experiences in life, and that we must always show up as our authentic selves. The brand motto “OWN YOUR CROWN”, is meant to encourage excellence, cultural ownership and authentic representation of self.