San Antonio beer maker launches mentorship program and incubator to help marginalized brewers

Marcus Baskerville, the San Antonio brewer known for the Black is Beautiful fundraising initiative seized on by craft brewers worldwide, has launched a brewery and incubator to help underrepresented groups get a leg up in the industry.

The Charlotte, N.C.-based facility will include an immersive program for women and people of color who are outgrowing home-brewing and looking to start or expand to a larger-scale operation. Over the course of a year, Baskerville’s Weathered Souls Brewing Co. will select 12 people to travel to North Carolina for a monthlong immersive mentorship program.

“Even with the unprecedented growth and popularity of the craft beer movement, women and people of color continue to be left out,” Baskerville said in a release. “Named after my grandmother, the Harriet Baskerville Incubation Program will provide opportunities for those who are underrepresented in our industry to gain hands-on training and education in brewing — hopefully jump-starting incredible careers.”

Baskerville’s grandmother brewed during prohibition, but she quit to avoid jail time after someone fell off her roof, according to a report from Axios Charlotte last year.  Baskerville didn’t learn the story until he himself started brewing.

“I’m glad to pick up where she left off,” Baskerville told the news site.

Among other things, program participants will learn about brewery maintenance and equipment, testing and yeast propagation as well as how to create, finance and market a sustainable venture.

The application process for candidates will open in August. The program itself is slated to launch in November.

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This article appears in Apr 20 – May 3, 2022.