In just one year, the founding members of the community-interest collective Change Is Brewing have formed five successful business partnerships with beverage companies in Nova Scotia. And their efforts continue in 2021.

The volunteer group has helped create and market new brews honouring local BIPOC communities and history, with the production taking place at partner breweries and cideries. Time spent with these specialty products has offered a new pathway for conversation and education for non-BIPOC business owners, while at the same time giving them a vehicle to establish deeper connections with potential customers. Returns from the unique efforts are provided to various community-based programs and projects.

The collective launched in June 2020, not long after the murder of George Floyd in the United States. Microbiologist and brewer Giovanni (Gio) Johnson reached out to friends and colleagues to talk through the painful realities for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) communities in Nova Scotia. 

“We found there was a small group of us, like-minded individuals from the third generation, and we decided that instead of us waiting for someone or a government entity to instruct us on how to make change or what we can do, we said we’ll just do it ourselves,” co-founder Damian McCartney told Atlantic Business Magazine. Essentially, there was no more waiting.

The founders agreed they wanted to see education for non-BIPOC business owners, skills development for young people and promotion of an equal-opportunity, just environment.

Many of the seven founders had ties to the food and beverage industry, so beverage production seemed a good place to start working. “We see that it’s pretty much white-washed I would say. Just to be pretty blunt,” McCartney said. Apart from ownership and employee base, new breweries and cideries in Atlantic Canada rarely offered products celebrating an aspect of Black or Indigenous history or culture.

The collective tried a charitable craft beer collaboration with Halifax-based Good Robot Brewing Co. (where Johnson worked as a lead brewer). The result was a pale ale called Blackberry Freedom. It was a success commercially, but also with brewery leadership. Proceeds were re-invested in the YMCA and Blxck House, a community centre in North Preston.

The collective decided to try another partnership, and then another. They moved to new businesses in each instance, working with them on inclusion and cultural accessibility. “We’re learning that a lot of companies, businesses locally here, they want to interact with our (BIPOC) communities, but they just don’t know how to make that connection,” McCartney said.

 

 

On a typical 60-40 split of net proceeds on the beverages, 60 per cent of net will go to a community project or outreach program and 40 per cent to funding future Change Is Brewing partnerships. The group has funded scholarships, created internships, made donations to the Africville Museum, the Black Cultural Centre and the Navigator Program for street outreach, to name a few. A brew called Back to Birchtown raised $20,000 on its launch day to support the purchase of eight acres of property across from the Black Loyalist Heritage Centre in Shelburne, where another volunteer partnership is leading plans for a new retreat and educational space.

The Change Is Brewing Collective also partnered for a series of “delectable desserts” in similar fashion and has been carefully considering other partnerships outside of food and beverage, all atop their day jobs (McCartney for instance is a real estate agent and partner in a small, non-alcoholic beverage company).

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Change Is Brewing: Beverages

Blackberry Freedom | Pale ale
Partner: Good Robot Brewing 

Cherry Brook | Wheat ale
Partner: North Brewing

Good News | Burliner weisse
Partner: Two Crows Brewing

Forest Glory | Cider
Partner: Lake City Cider House

Back to Birchtown | Old stock ale
Partner: Boxing Rock Brewing Co.
A special collaboration, to support “Buy Black Birchtown”