It’s estimated that less than 1 percent of the 8275 craft breweries operating in the US are black-owned. It’s a staggering statistic considering black people make up for 13.4 percent of the population. Crowns & Hops, one of just 50 black-owned breweries in the US, is on a mission to change that.

Founders Beny Ashburn and Teo Hunter want to challenge the assumption that black people don’t drink craft beer. They’re bringing a new and fresh voice to the category by proudly celebrating black and brown culture in an overwhelmingly white industry.

Like many challengers, Crowns & Hops look to progress the category rather than just its brand and sees black-ownership as a way to do this. The LA-based company hopes championing black art, music and expression will inspire other black-owned breweries to launch and further expand racial equity of the category.

In 2020, Crowns & Hops launched ‘The 8 Trill Pils Initiative’, an initiative intended to demonstrate that more black-owned businesses and a more racially equitable society would financially benefit the whole of America. The initiative is named after a statistic in a W.K. Kellogg Foundation study which announced that the US economy would gain an incredible $8 trillion in GDP by closing the racial equity gap by 2050.

Accompanying the initiative was a new beer of the same name (8 Trill Pils) which launched in the US, UK and Germany in September last year with all the proceeds going to organisations fighting for racial equity. BrewDog has supported Crown & Hops and the ‘8 Trills Pils’ project, collaborating with the brand on the new Pilsner and investing $150,000 to help grow the business.

“This [Diversity] is a big issue in our industry and one we know we can’t address on our own. That is why we are joining forces with the pioneers at Crowns & Hops on an ultimate collaboration. These inspiring humans share our mission to break down walls and inspire others.” said a statement on BrewDog’s website.

Crowns & Hops has been a powerful voice for change but until now Ashburn and Hunter have been contract brewing their beer at other breweries in and around Los Angeles. In 2021, the founders plan to open their own production facility and bar in Inglewood, California. The City’s first independent black-owned brewery should create a positive ripple effect for the next generation of black-owned craft beer companies.

The BLM movement has enabled people from across the world to unite in the fight against racism and racial injustice. It’s also helped many businesses and industries reflect on and discuss their role and participation in a landscape and system that was never fair. And black-owned businesses have always demonstrated creativity and innovation but perhaps the media lens was never wide enough to draw attention to their work and they too often went unnoticed. Until now.

We’re excited for Ashburn and Hunter as black innovators and look forward to seeing them grow and empower others to achieve equality and equity in the months and years to come. Cheers to Crowns & Hops. We’ll drink to you “owning your crown” (and your space!) in 2021.

Luke Cole is multimedia designer at eatbigfish.