DuClaw and Craft x Edu Launch Hopportunity Awaits

In the craft brewing industry, opportunity is limitless. But to see opportunity, you need to feel welcome, understood, and a sense of purpose. 

Taking an honest look at our industry, this hasn’t always been the case. That’s why we want to raise awareness and create more pathways for diversity, in every sense, across every role. 

And, we’re going to do it the best way we know how. With beer, and the people behind it. 

With that, we’d like to introduce Hopportunity Awaits, a brew on a mission to help the masses discover careers in craft beer, and inspire more of us to hold the door for the unique talent among us.

On the cans, you will meet 10 industry professionals who are ready to tell their remarkable stories of how they got started and paved their own path, rules be damned. Partial proceeds will benefit Craft x EDU as we work together to launch an educational grant that will award scholarships for emerging brewing professionals to develop their capabilities and gain access to development and training opportunities.

From our very first strategy session to launch, we’ve been exceptionally thankful to work closely with Craft x EDU founder and executive director, Dr. J Jackson-Beckham, better known as “Dr. J,” a positive force championing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the craft beer community and beyond. 

Click the bios below for incredible stories packed with equally incredible lessons on how to translate your talents to the taproom, celebrate diversity, thoughtfully approach community outreach, and ultimately, use craft as a tool for connection. 

Prepare yourself for surprise plot twists, nostalgia, and a few good laughs too. 

So, what are you waiting for? Hopportunity Awaits… 

Rachel Breite >> fisheries biologist who turned her love for beer into a new career as a brewer.

Emily Wang  >> laboratory overlord and founder of Fermly, a TTB certified craft beer lab in Denver, CO.

Ryan Cervantes >> skilled packaging manager on the Oregon coast. His motto? Never lose faith in the hustle.

Stephanie Grant  >>  a savvy storyteller focusing on diversity and inclusion.

Em Sauter  >> cartoonist and founder of Pints and Panels, craft beer education with a whimsical twist.

Aadam Soorma  >> award-winning beer columnist turned head of marketing who’s proud to pour in Pittsburgh.

Hannah Ferguson  >> Ohio’s first Black female professional brewer and owner of DOPE Cider House and Winery.

Leanne O’Neill  >> the notorious Sip & Saunter beer blogger with a passion for pints.

Kenny Gould  >> Creative Director at Untappd and founder of Hop Culture Magazine.

Barb Baker  >> brilliant beer coach, Siren of Stout, and TV personality.