On August 29th, 2023, the President of the Brewers Association, Bob Pease, sent this email to Beer is for Everyone, as a second response to the Collective Petition letter regarding the Craft Brewers Association.
Dear Lindsay, Jen, Ann, and Beer Is For Everyone,
We recognize that considerable time has passed since you last heard from us on the concerns expressed in the petition letter delivered to the BA board of directors on May 18, 2023. This silence should not be equated with idleness. We have spent the past 14 weeks speaking with those of you who asked to participate in one-on-one conversations and reevaluating not only how we approach organizing our events, but how we operate as a membership association. These conversations have involved the entire Brewers Association board of directors, every member of our staff, our equity & inclusion partner, committee members, as well as an external facilitator. While our process of learning, discussion, change management, and assessment is ongoing, we’d like to update you on progress thus far.
On Brewers Association Events
We have expanded the process for reviewing future Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) sites to include a new metric for selecting future host cities. At the time of booking, a CBC host city must score at least 80 out of 100 for a total score and at least 25 out of 30 on Q1 Non-Discrimination laws on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation City Scorecard. The 2024–2028 host cities currently meet these standards. You may review the entire CBC site selection criteria by visiting the Craft Brewers Conference website.
We have also revised the Craft Brewers Conference seminar selection process so that the seminar subcommittee has the opportunity to review all content from featured speakers.
On Position Statements and Government Affairs Activity
In the recent past, the association issued statements about current events at the intersection of social issues, politics, and business. We received pointed feedback from our members and the broader community. Some asserted that our statements were performative and urged us to “say less and do more.” Others felt that it was inappropriate for a trade association to issue position statements that aren’t directly about the brewing industry.
We listened. Rather than issuing statements, we have committed resources to develop programs and tools to lower barriers and open doors, established standards for professional comportment in our organization, and worked to expand the range of educational resources that the industry can use to help prevent harassment, violence, and discrimination in our community. We continue to believe that speaking with our actions and investments is the right course of action.
As a professional trade organization, the Brewers Association works across political divides to promote and protect craft brewers. We will continue to embrace inclusion and equity as a cornerstone of the way we operate and work toward continuous improvement in this area. However, we will reserve public position statements and lobbying activity to policy issues that threaten the viability of small and independent craft beer businesses.
On BA Member and Event Attendee Relations
In the weeks since the Craft Brewers Conference, we invited those with concerns to join us for one-on-one conversations. We believe it is important to make ourselves directly available to members and event attendees and be willing to have tough conversations. However, we also recognize the need for establishing multiple avenues to collect important feedback that ensures those who have feedback can communicate without fear or undue stress. We have created an email for submitting comments, questions, and concerns, feedback@brewersassociation.org.
In the coming months, we will work to build more awareness of the avenues members and event attendees can use to provide feedback, voice concerns, and participate in shaping the direction of the association. These avenues include (but are not limited to):
- Adding employees to a member brewery roster so that each has direct access to educational resources and association communications.
- Joining a Brewers Association Committee or Subcommittee.
- Running for the Brewers Association Board of Directors.
- Participating in the annual voting member meeting at the Craft Brewers Conference.
- Understanding and activating the member code of conduct, event codes of conduct, and the advertising and marketing code.
- Highlighting key dates for contributing to the future direction of the Brewers Association.
On DEI and HR Resources and Programming
The Brewers Association is committed to providing tools, programs, and resources to help all members of the craft brewing community thrive.
- We recently refreshed our DEI section on BrewersAssociation.org to provide in-depth information about Brewers Association programming—including the Mentorship Program, DEI Mini-Grant Program, and CBC Travel Grant Program—and educational resources.
- We continue to build a robust library of human resources tools and best practices for craft brewers, offer discounts for anonymous reporting systems, and provide complimentary access to Zywave, a comprehensive human resources platform for Brewers Association members.
These efforts are possible because of the contributions of Brewers Association committee and subcommittee members and engaged members of the craft brewing community like you.
The Brewers Association has an extraordinary membership composed of people from all walks of life, from every region and geography, with diverse identities, and who are shaped by varied life experiences. While members of our community will not always agree with each other on matters of public concern, every member should feel empowered to voice questions and concerns that will be heard and considered, and the volunteer contributions and engagement of our members should also be valued and met with transparency.
We hold high standards for ourselves as your Brewers Association and share our sincerest regrets that we have fallen short of those standards for ourselves and
for some members of our community. We are embracing this opportunity to learn, grow, and better serve the industry. We hope that you will provide us the opportunity of time and patience, understanding that we will occasionally stumble along the way. Thank you for your ongoing engagement and investment in building a craft brewing community where everyone can flourish.
Sincerely,
Bob