Good morning,
In 2014, friends and fellow craft brew enthusiasts Beny Ashburn and Teo Hunter realized something was missing from the chummy but uniform $29.3 billion American craft brew scene: people who looked like them.
Ashburn, an advertising pro, started brainstorming with Hunter, a craft beer aficionado who had acquired the taste while working as a vendor in the entertainment industry. Together, they created a lifestyle brand representing Black beer drinkers and brewers. Dope & Dank launched with the simple, direct slogan: “Black People Love Beer.”
The pair gained traction by creating emotional connections between their products and their intended customers. "We identified pretty early that your palate is connected to your experience," Hunter tells Inc. "If your experience is full of doubt with regards to if you even belong, then the likelihood that you're going to enjoy something--and enjoy it enough to pass it on to someone else--is pretty low."
Through events, tastings, and social media, Dope & Dank’s co-founders built a loyal audience comprised mostly of people who hadn’t previously been interested in craft beer at all. Read our story to learn how they pulled it off, and how they’re using that momentum to help financially support Black-owned breweries nationwide. |
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