Resources for Supporting Black Beverage Professionals and Black-Owned Businesses

Earlier this week, we shared a message of support and solidarity with the Black Lives Matter protests that have taken place worldwide in response to the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and far too many others. Since then, we’ve been taking our own measures to educate ourselves and to work on expanding Imbibe‘s platform for Black voices and perspectives while supporting organizations working to end systemic racism.

Black-owned restaurants and bars, breweries, wineries, coffee shops, and distilleries could also use our support, especially amid the ongoing Covid-19 crisis. Below is a list of resources for finding Black-owned businesses across the United States, as well as organizations that support and elevate Black professionals and businesses in the beverage world.

We realize this list merely scratches the surface, so we will be updating it as we learn of more resources. If you have a resource you’d like to see included, please send us an email.

Association of African American Vintners
Founded in 2002, AAAV is dedicated to building awareness of diversity in the wine industry through education and events showcasing AAAV member wines.

Black-Owned Brooklyn
Operated by Cynthia Gordy Giwa and Tayo Giwa, this site is an excellent resource for Black-owned businesses in Brooklyn, including those in the beverage space.

Black-Owned Chicago
A searchable database of Black-owned businesses in Chicago, including those focused on beverages.

Black Food Folks
Launched by culinary photography Clay Williams and Colleen Vincent, director of Director of Culinary Community Initiatives for the James Beard Foundation, this initiative celebrates and connects Black professionals in the food and beverage world.

Black Wall Street
An expansive cross-country business directory that’s searchable by location or category, including those in the beverage world.

Brewing Change Collaborative
BCC’s mission is to “foster diversity, equity, and inclusion for people of color in the brewing industry through advocacy, outreach and education.” Their site is under construction, but you can follow them on Instagram.

Black Wine Professionals
A newly launched initiative by wine writer and educator Julia Coney to highlight Black wine professionals.

Causing a Stir
Founded by Alexis Brown, Causing a Stir is dedicated to making the hospitality world a more inclusive place through education and training.

Craft Beer for All
Founded by Dr. J. Nikol Jackson-Beckham (Imbibe’s 2020 Beer Person of the Year), Craft Beer for All is dedicated to making the beer industry and culture more welcoming, equitable, and inclusive.

Craft x EDU
Also founded by Dr. J. Nikol Jackson-Beckham, Craft x EDU’s mission is to “champion inclusion, equity, and justice in the craft brewing community through education and professional development.”

Diversify Your Palate by @BlackBeerTravelers
Created by Black Beer Travelers, this is an easy-to-navigate map of Black-owned breweries across the United States.

Eat Okra App
This app features more than 1,700 Black-owned restaurants across the country.

The Hue Society
Founded by Tahiirah Habibi in 2017, The Hue Society helps connect the wine world with a Black audience through events, such as the Black Wine Experience.

Intentionalist
Intentionalist is an online guide to culturally and racially diverse small businesses across the country.

Radical Xchange
Founded by Kisira Hill and Ashtin Berry (Imbibe’s 2019 Bartender of the Year), Radical Xchange is a creative agency that produces events, forums and partnerships aimed to educate individuals and businesses in hospitality about diversity, inclusiveness and intersectionality.

Shoppe Black
Founded in 2015 by Tony Lawson and Shantrelle Lewis, Shoppe Black is a global resource featuring thousands of Black-owned businesses, including those with a beverage focus.

Support Black-Owned
This website and app allows you to search Black-owned businesses by location and category, including drinks.

Travel Noire
This beautiful website offers a wide range of great beverage-related profiles and articles featuring Black-owned businesses around the world.