It was not Celeste Beatty's intention to open the first Black brewery in the country. Yet, that is just how it transpired.

Beatty established Harlem Brewing Company in 2000 after years of homebrewing in her apartment in New York City. But, even if that was a step forward, building the brand hasn't been simple. The rivalry in the U.S. craft beer market has exploded since Harlem Brewing released its first product, Sugar Hill Golden Ale, with domestic breweries increasing from roughly 1,500 to more than 9,000.

She thinks the solution is to use Harlem Brewing's brand to open doors for other Black and BIPOC entrepreneurs in the sector. For that purpose, Beatty, 58, is converting a former tobacco factory in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, into Harlem Brew South, a "brewers' town." On a small-batch brewing system, novice and aspiring brewers can test their recipes.

Read the full Q&A here.

Source: Inc Magazine