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It took one brave woman to bring a these toxic workplace stories to light and the craft beer biz is responding as the fallout continues.
Here’s the latest…
The craft beer industry is reeling from a virtual tsunami of postings from women who work in the biz sharing their own stories of workplace sexism and sexual assault, after brewer and production manager Brienne Allan of Notch Brewing in Salem, MA shared her own experiences on her personal Instagram account last week.
After asking other women to share their own experiences she was soon flooded with, not hundreds, but thousands, of responses from women who work in the craft beer biz “chronicling everything from misogyny and sexual harassment and toxic workplace cultures to sexual assault,” according to Inside Hook.
Some of these incidents involve some of craft beer’s biggest names “industry figures like Shaun Hill, founder and brewer of Hill Farmstead; Jean Broillet, co-founder of Tired Hands Brewing; and Jacob McKean, founder of Modern Times Beer, are among those being called out for their behavior.”
And with these unfortunate reports continuing to come in Allen is now asking women to share their stories with their employees if they haven’t already…
“If you have an experience that has not been handled yet due to it not being reported, I encourage you to report it today instead of sending it to me. Trust me, they’re watching and I truly believe everyone is going to make an immediate effort at this point.”
As the shockwaves continue several breweries have posted their own statements and we’ve republished some of them below…
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From Chris Loring at Notch Brewing where Brienne Allen is employed….
The events that unfolded in the craft beer world last week have been unnerving, but unfortunately not surprising to anyone working in our industry. It took one careless and sexist comment by a contractor working at our new brewery job site to motivate our Production Manager Brienne Allan to post on Instagram the question “what sexist comments have you experienced?” The resulting 1000 plus comments and experiences of sexual harassment represent a watershed moment in our industry, and it came with long overdue consequences.
Last week I asked Brienne what we could do to support her, either personally or from the company, and her answer was that we already were, by simply allowing her to share these stories. I felt a statement from a male owner would present itself as opportunistic, or undermine Brienne’s efforts. Sometimes as an owner, it is best to just get out of the way. But to those who wanted a statement of Notch supporting her, this is it, we stand by her 100%. But words are cheap, signs fade and flags wear away. Actions are what count, and I’m confident Notch will continue to act in a way that attracts the caliber of a person like Brienne Allan.
And finally, Notch is not perfect, and we have fucked up along the way. While this did not start with an incident at Notch, and we do have protocols, training, outreach and HR consultants to guide us, I know we can be better. I know we all can.
– Chris Lohring, owner
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This edited statement from Jacob McKeon, Modern Times CEO who was named in some of the accusations and has already stepped away from that role. You can read his entire statement here.
A STATEMENT FROM JACOB MCKEAN
I’d like to start off by saying what I should’ve said earlier: I’m sorry. I’m sorry that anyone has ever had to face harassment at Modern Times. No one should ever have to be traumatized at work, and it guts me that people have under my watch. I take full responsibility for that.
My heart aches for anyone who came to work for us—full of hope for the career they expected to have with us—only to have that experience marred by harassment. That is truly awful, and I apologize from the bottom of my heart to anyone who has had that experience.
I also apologize to all of our staff and fans who rightly expect so much better from us. You’ve invested your hearts and souls into this place, and I am so sorry to have let you down in this way.
Clearly, we still have a long way to go in order to get to where we need to be. To that end, we’re taking the following steps immediately:
1. I am stepping down from my role as CEO, and we will begin a formal search for new company leadership. In order to navigate us out of this extremely difficult moment, we need leadership with the skill and experience to handle it effectively. It’s time for a change.
2. Today, we parted ways with an employee that was named in an online report last week. While this portion of that particular investigation process is closed, we are still continuing to work through the next steps in order to take additional action as needed.
3. Changing our reporting procedures for harassment from an internal process to an external, anonymous, 3rd party process. It is now incredibly obvious that the process we have had for reporting harassment has not made people feel safe.
4. Conducting bystander training and enhanced anti-harassment training for all-staff, in addition to the current biennial sexual harassment training.
5. Prioritizing the hiring of the previously committed to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Manager. Clearly, we are in over our heads here, and we need help and expertise. This is in addition to the deeper focus on training and education mentioned above, including our upcoming anti-oppression training, not in place of it.
These are the steps I can announce today, but they represent just the beginning of where we go from here. I sincerely apologize again for all of the hurt this has caused, both internally and externally, and I am committed to healing it, whatever that takes.
Clearly this is a sad day for our industry…
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This from a website posting by Jess Reiser at Asheville, North Carolina-headquartered Burial Beer…
A MESSAGE FROM JESS REISER, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO
We recognize the heinous acts committed by some in our industry and while we condemn them and stand in support with the victims, we know that we must use this space to address our own company’s role in change. Something I have learned over recent years is the importance of having hard conversations and creating space for the discomfort that comes with information surrounding harm. I believe that for every moment of discomfort, I have an opportunity to seize that moment to evolve as a woman, an employer, a mother, a friend, a daughter, and a wife. I believe in holding space for the “both/and” where I can be a fair, kind employer and make decisions that lead to harm. I am here, transparent and vulnerable to the conversations and the women who are standing up and speaking out.
A conversation on Brienne Allan’s Instagram account (follow her on Instagram at @ratmagnet) has provided a necessary platform for women and members of our industry to share personal experiences and find community in a collaborative voice. One of our former employees had the courage to share her stance on several workplace grievances from her time at Burial, roughly three years ago. Another former employee made a statement on this social media account regarding her employment at Burial from the same time period and, unfortunately, this statement contained significant inaccuracies and was ultimately removed. While I support the right for someone to share their personal feelings and hurt, I am unable to be silent about these misrepresentations. I am very sorry to hear that these former employees have had to carry these burdens for so long.
I recognize the relationship between intent and impact. While we have intentions to be supportive, good, fair employers, there are times where we might not always live up to our best intentions. Therefore, in spite of those intentions, we are committed to recognizing and accepting our role in and learning from that impact.
There was a time in Burial’s history many years ago where I was overwhelmed by the growth of the business and, as a mother of two small kids, I was disconnected and lacked awareness. I was not the leader I wanted to be nor was I the leader that I am today. Our culture suffered during this period and I recognize that harm was done. I want to apologize to those who were impacted by my lack of leadership. Doug, Tim, and I have spent years rebuilding with intention and acceptance. We are still met with the frailty of our leadership at times, but we embrace growth, support, conversations, transparency, and productive listening. We continue to work on our leadership skills and learn from past experiences.
As part of our growth plan, we made significant strides over the past three years. We hired an amazing HR Manager who advocates for our staff and holds space for progress and open dialogue while offering the option of third-party consultants to ensure confidentiality. Burial’s ownership and leadership team continue to refine and hone in on our core values while providing a forum for discussion and professional consultation surrounding equity. We facilitate monthly manager trainings that cover topics such as sexual harassment, stress management, and communication. We work with OurVoice specifically on sexual harassment trainings for all employees and raise money for the organization every year. We recently implemented an Employee Assistance Network that gives all employees free access to mental health resources and support. While we made significant progress over these most recent years, we recognize that our growth related to employee support and education surrounding workplace harm is very much an active, lifetime journey and we are wholly committed to it.
Despite our best efforts, perfect workplaces do not exist. Last year, we navigated our first sexual harassment claim. I worked closely with the employee who brought the claim, to provide support to her during that time and followed our documented process as it pertains to sexual harassment in the workplace. After an investigation, corrective action was taken that resulted in termination. The employee who brought the complaint was aware of our actions and to this day I maintain a respectful and open relationship with her and fully support her in telling her story.
Doug, Tim, and I pledge to continue to listen and learn from employees and their experiences as well as develop and refine Burial’s processes and systems to support managers and employees when navigating challenging situations. Our goal is to continue to develop a safe and healthy workplace by facilitating honest conversation and in doing so, play our role in advocating for safe and equitable spaces in the beer industry. I hope for more calling in as the conversation progresses so we can heal together as a craft brewing community.
Sincerely,
Jess Reiser Co-Founder and CEO
Clearly this is a sad and sobering time for our industry…
