Barkerville Brewing, based in Quesnel, is planning to launch new diversity and inclusion initiatives in step with BC Craft Brewers Guild. The Guild put the conversation about diversity, equity, and inclusion out in front of the 2021 BC Craft Brewers Conference beginning the event series with a keynote address from Ren Navarro of Beer. Diversity.

The BC Brewers Guild represents over 200 craft breweries in British Columbia. Photo courtesy of the BC Craft Brewers Guild.

Meghan Lackey, general manager of Barkerville Brewing, says the company has set some internal goals inspired by Navarro’s presentation such as including more perspectives in the history told through their products. “Our beers tell the story of the Cariboo Gold Rush, so we’ve been speaking as a team about how the gold rush history comes from a really colonial or settler perspective and we’d love to find a way to work with and honour some of the other cultural groups that are also intrinsically involved in our shared history.” Some of the breweries current offerings include the Prospector’s Pilsner, Sluice Juice Hazy Pale Ale, and the Wandering Camel IPA, a nod to the little known story of camels brought to the region to haul gear and ultimately let loose to wander the region and fend for themselves. In the future, Lackey hopes to include stories of the Chinese immigrant community that settled in Barkerville as well as local and regional Indigenous communities.  

Chloe Smith of Townsite Brewing has been advocating for greater diversity since joining the industry. Photo courtesy of C. Smith.

Chloe Smith, board member of both the BC Craft Brewers Guild and the Canadian Craft Brewers Association (CCBA) says conversations about the lack of diversity in the industry were ongoing, but that this year represents the first organized effort on the national and provincial levels to address these issues. “Our industry is predominantly male and predominantly white and that really is not representative of Canadian communities,” said Smith who also founded Townsite Brewing in Powell River along with Steve Brooks, Karen Skadsheim, Michelle Zutz, and Ulrich Herl. Smith lists some concrete goals for the initiatives, such as increasing representation in workforce and customer base, reducing incidence of discrimination in packaging and advertising, education for members, and to create community around craft beer. “We are speaking to millions of people on our social media every day so we have the ability to make a difference… [we are] recognizing that we can be leaders in change.”

The Guild has donated 50% of the proceeds of the conference to the newly established Anti-Discrimination and Inclusivity Committee headed by the Canadian Craft Brewers Association.

Listen to the interview with Chloe Smith on CFUR-FM:

Listen to the interview with Meghan Lackey on CFUR-FM: