- 9 hours ago
Two Black spirits founders on legacy and ownership. Raise a glass to the innovators reshaping the beverage industry. In this engaging fireside chat, Branden J. Peters of Draught Season and Shalanda Jackson, Brewer at Urban South, come together to discuss entrepreneurship, craftsmanship, and the importance of building legacy through ownership. From creating distinctive products to navigating the challenges and opportunities of the brewing and spirits industries, this conversation explores what it means to break barriers, build brands, and create lasting impact. Whether you're a beverage enthusiast, aspiring entrepreneur, or simply curious about the business behind the bottle, this session offers an inspiring look at the future of Black ownership in the world of beer and spirits.
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FunTranscript
00:04Y'all ready for it? Amen. Okay, I'm so glad y'all are here. We're going to toast to Libation's
00:09legacy and ownership. Throughout history, some of the most meaningful conversations
00:14have happened over a shared meal or a thoughtfully crafted cocktail. Behind every great spirit,
00:20wine, or beverage brand is a story of vision, entrepreneurship, and the determination
00:25to build something that lasts. Our next conversation shines a spotlight on the innovators who are
00:31changing the beverage industry while creating space for new voices, new ownership, and new
00:36opportunities. Today's panel will bring together entrepreneurs who understand that building a
00:42successful beverage brand takes far more than creating an exceptional product. It requires
00:48purpose, perseverance, and a commitment to telling authentic stories. Joining us for this fireside
00:54chat are two rising voices in the beverage and spirit space who are helping expand what
01:00ownership, innovation, and representation look like across the industry. Our first guest, Brandon
01:06Peters, is the co-founder of Drought Season. He brings an entrepreneurial perspective rooted
01:11in culture, craft, and community. Through his work, he is helping create new pathways for
01:17black founders to build visibility and ownership in the beverage space. And he's going to be joined
01:23by Shalonda Jackson. She's the lead brewer at Second Line Brewery. Her work represents the growing
01:29presence of black women in craft beer and beverage production. Her experience brings an important
01:34lens on creativity, technical skill, and representation behind the scenes of the brewing industry.
01:40This conversation will explore what it takes to build, brew, and lead in an industry where black
01:45founders and makers are continuing to create space, shape culture, and redefine legacy. Please put your hands
01:52together for Brandon Peters and Shalonda Jackson.
01:59A little louder. Please enjoy Let's Toast, Libations, Legacy, and Ownership.
02:08How y'all doing? Y'all can do better than that. How y'all doing? Good, good, good. Oh, man.
02:16We got a real deal heavyweights in the building, man. Shout out to the homies, man. So happy that y
02:23'all can be here for sure.
02:26As she said, my name is Brandon Peters. But before we go any further, I have to shout out
02:31my brother and my business partner would not be sitting in the seat without him, an absolute
02:36boss in the seat. You got to stand up. Stop being shy. You're not shy. My boy, Kevin Suarez, for
02:42sure.
02:43So we are co-founders and co-owners of Drought Season. We're a lifestyle brand for people who love craft
02:50beer. We do clothing. We do beer dinners. We do all kind of stuff across the country and in Canada.
03:00We've had a beer in the Golden One Center, where the Sacramento Kings play for the last three years. We've
03:06also done a bunch of collaborations and activations here in New Orleans. And this young lady, who is a
03:13who is a boss in her own right, Shalonda Jackson, has worked with us on a couple of those. So
03:19please introduce yourself to the good people.
03:21Hi, everybody. My name is Shalonda Jackson. I'm originally from Jersey and I started brewing over there. Yes, Jersey people.
03:29I moved down here three years ago and I've been brewing at a place called Urban South. But now I'm
03:35at Second Line Brewing, which is still I'm the lead right underneath the head brewer. And I'm learning more about
03:40the business aspect over there. So yeah, that's my story.
03:45So to have a woman, mind you there. In 1983, there were 48 breweries in America. 48. As of this
03:58year, there are, I believe, 8,266 breweries in America. Only 320 of those are owned by women. A little
04:07less or around 80 are owned by black people.
04:10So to have a black woman as the lead brewer at a real legit brewery and also brewed at the
04:17second largest brewery in the state, and I believe the 110th largest in the country, is a huge deal. So
04:24please give a round of applause for Shalonda.
04:29So we're very much a rarity in this business to an extent. Why do you think that is? Is somebody
04:36that's really knee deep in it, that's brewed at a very high level?
04:40I just feel like a lot of times people don't know that they can do whatever they want. And it's
04:45just like a lot of times people of color, we sometimes feel like we can be trapped in a box.
04:50I know now we don't feel like that as much anymore, but becoming a brewer or doing brewing science or
04:56things like that didn't seem like even an option for people.
04:59Originally, I was a music teacher, and I taught kids for four years before I became a brewer, so I
05:05had a completely different path.
05:07But then I always had a second job, and still do hustling, but always had a second job, and I
05:13worked at a brewery, and I was just like, oh, I can do this instead.
05:16And so I just happened to work there already, and I found my path. But it's just like, I can
05:21do this.
05:22Just because I had a career and now I'm doing something different doesn't mean that I just have to stick
05:27with being a teacher, even though that would have been great.
05:29But it's just like, I can try something different. There's room to be different and do whatever I want to
05:34do.
05:35For sure. So we've had conversations before about representation and how you really started on the ground floor in Jersey
05:43before you got here and actually started brewing. So my question is to you, as a black woman and a
05:50black person,
05:51how do we go from representation, which is cool, to actually having a foothold in this business
05:58and explaining to people and showing them, yes, you can come and be a brewer.
06:02You can make wine. You can make beer. You can make spirits.
06:06It's not just about driving a white label on something.
06:08You can actually be in the production side, the marketing side, the business side, all of that.
06:13A lot of it just comes from confidence and just know that you are supposed to be in that space,
06:19regardless of if you, if they make you feel welcome, you belong in that space.
06:25And then you walk into that space with confidence because everybody else does.
06:27So it's like, why do we have to not be confident in things that we do?
06:31So it's just like, you just know the confidence that you're supposed to be there.
06:34And then you go to all of the conferences, you go to the beer festivals, you show up here,
06:38and you just have the confidence while you talk about yourself and your product and what you believe in.
06:43And then people will also start to believe in you as well.
06:46Absolutely. Absolutely.
06:48How many of you guys knew that beer is actually something that black people created?
06:55How many of y'all know that because of me and Swerve?
07:02So for those who don't know, 3900 B.C., black Sumerian women created the first known recipe for beer
07:11because the water from the Nile wasn't good enough to drink.
07:16So they had to ferment and create beer, literally beer is black history.
07:20We actually own the federal trademark on beer is black history.
07:23So anytime you see it and it's not us, please send us a DM so we can send a cease
07:27and desist.
07:28I know that's right. I know that's right.
07:31So it's very important for us to have representation.
07:34It's very important for us to have a foothold in this as being in a state where there is not
07:41a black-owned brewery,
07:43how difficult is it when you walk in a room and it's like, oh, you're not a bartender.
07:49You're actually back there brewing.
07:51You're not doing social media for the brewery.
07:53You actually put on the boots, come in 6 o'clock in the morning, get your hands dirty,
07:58cleaning kegs, the whole night.
08:01So how do you work through that?
08:05I think that goes back to the confidence and not trying to let other people psych you out.
08:10I think sometimes a lot of, they may not be doing it on purpose,
08:15but also not giving everybody the benefit of the doubt.
08:17But sometimes a lot of times you feel like people are trying to psych you out,
08:20but it's like, no, this is what I do.
08:22This is my job.
08:23Everybody else is here and I'm proud of it.
08:26And if you want me to, and I add on, if you want me to give you a tour of
08:29the production facility,
08:30I could do that for you too, you know?
08:32But it's just like, you know, just not letting other people's narratives of you fold into how you believe
08:38and how you think of yourself.
08:40For sure.
08:40So we're on the food and wine stage.
08:42So we got to discuss a little bit of food pairings and things of that nature.
08:47For those who don't know, there are more flavor profiles for beer than there are for any other beverage on
08:53earth.
08:54More than wine, more than soda, more than sparkling waters, more than everything.
08:59So when people say, oh, I don't like beer or oh, whatever, it's because you haven't had a beer that
09:04you like.
09:04So I often say, you want beer that tastes like beer, beer that don't taste like beer.
09:08And that's kind of how we bring you in.
09:10So for you, you've brewed a ton of different brews.
09:14What are some of your favorite food and beer pairings?
09:19I'm a one-off because I just drink the beer that I like regardless.
09:23But when it comes to, I feel like, Creole, New Orleans food, a lot of the lighter, crispier beers,
09:29I feel like, work the best because it enhances all of, like, the spiciness in the food.
09:35And it doesn't, like, mute all of the other flavors.
09:38So it enhances everything and it doesn't, like, overpower.
09:41So, but I do, I am an IPA girly and I like Saison's regardless.
09:45So that's just what I do.
09:47But I do think that some lagers and ales will go best with, like, most New Orleans cuisine.
09:53For sure.
09:54So we're in New Orleans.
09:56We are eating fried.
09:58We are.
09:58This is a cheap weekend.
09:59This ain't a cheap day.
10:01For sure.
10:01So you're sitting down having crawfish or is it crawfish season right now?
10:07It just ended.
10:08It's not.
10:08All right.
10:09Forget that.
10:10It's showing that you don't live here.
10:12Good.
10:12No, I don't live here at all.
10:14All right.
10:15So, so say gumbo.
10:18What kind of beer would you pair with a seafood gumbo?
10:21I would do seafood gumbo tends to be a little spicy.
10:26So I definitely would do a lager actually more because they're more and more smooth
10:31and it won't enhance the spiciness, but it won't take it away.
10:35But something that's more flavorful, I would do more of an ale.
10:39Rather than spicy, it's a little bit of a difference.
10:42So it won't be like, oh my gosh, it's like a little bit too much.
10:45It won't make it build.
10:47But for the gumbo, I would do a lager.
10:50For sure.
10:50For sure.
10:51So being, being a sister, being a black woman, I mean, we're in essence.
10:54We all talk about it.
10:55What is the most difficult thing that you've had to deal with being a black woman in this space?
11:04There's a lot.
11:05It's trying to phrase it the right way.
11:10It's mostly dealing with trying, sometimes you have to, having to over-explain yourself sometimes.
11:16Because if I was a man, regardless of my race, if I were to say something, people would believe me
11:22the first time.
11:23So having to over-explain things sometimes does hinder.
11:28And then also the women aspect, regardless of being black or not, you should smile more.
11:34Like, no, it's a thousand degrees in here.
11:37I just got hops all over me.
11:39There are yeast all over me.
11:41I tripped over all these hoses.
11:42And you're not telling a man that they need to smile more.
11:45But I have to hold a certain type of standard for you, even though that doesn't affect my work at
11:52all.
11:53So it's just like having to over-explain and not just taking seriously the first time.
11:59And then also, like, you need to smile more or be more pleasant or phrase things in certain ways of
12:04just being, like, direct.
12:06Like, if you're not being rude and respectful, there's nothing wrong with being direct, you know.
12:10But there's a lot of other pleasantries that sometimes people feel like women have to have that men don't have
12:17to be held accountable for either.
12:19So basically the same thing women do in any corporate environment.
12:23Yes, and then plus put on physical, sweating, everything's broken.
12:29Troubleshooting, and on your feet all day.
12:32Yeah.
12:33Right.
12:34Understood.
12:35Understood for sure.
12:36So how have you been able to, you know, you just moved from Urban South to second line as a
12:43lead brewer.
12:45What were some of the things that made you, the opportunities that you have there that you may not have
12:51had at previous stops?
12:53And why are you excited?
12:54She literally just started on July 1st.
12:56Yes.
12:57Yes.
13:03It's, well, at Urban South, it's mostly just, like, working and working and working.
13:07So at second line, it's going to be more of, like, it's a smaller place, so there are more hands
13:12in different departments.
13:13Like, there's not just a marketing department.
13:15There's not just sales.
13:15We all do all of it.
13:17So we have meetings of being part of the meetings, like, with the CEO and the lead beer manager, things
13:26like that.
13:26And just, like, how do we get more people in here?
13:29What's the next step?
13:30Oh, there's this concert coming up.
13:32Can we do something that will get people in the door?
13:35Let's look about merch.
13:37What does merch look like?
13:38Like, how do we do more collabs?
13:40So getting more of the questions and creating the schedules and creating the beers and creating the sides rather than
13:47just, okay, we have this and this is what you're going to do.
13:49So I'm more on the creative side, more on the business side, and also learning more about the business and
13:54the finances and stuff.
13:55I'm really excited about that, for sure.
13:57For sure.
13:58So a lot of, if you pay attention to news and food and beverage, there's a lot of talk about
14:05breweries closing, breweries downsizing, things of that nature.
14:10There's definitely probably in the last two to three years been almost 1,000 breweries that have closed across the
14:16country, yet we're still seeing the pattern of closing is far less for black-owned breweries and women-owned breweries.
14:24And the growth, even though it's small, it's actually there.
14:28And I think a lot of that has to do with culture.
14:30So as somebody who's in the brew house every day and breweries every day, what aspect of culture do you
14:36think a lot of these breweries are missing for getting entry-point consumers in the building and not just the
14:43dude with the big beard and the flannel shirt?
14:45Right.
14:47It's actually getting the community that you're in in your door.
14:51So a lot of times, like, or people feel like they are not really for, like, beer's not for black
14:56people or whatever stigma that we put on it.
14:59And sometimes the businesses don't help break those stigmas.
15:03So it's just like you're always going to get those same clientele.
15:07And a lot of, and people are drinking alcohol less overall.
15:10So it's just like, you know, when people decide not to drink or when that clientele, the older, you know,
15:16white guy, when, you know, not to be rude, but, you know, they start passing away.
15:20Like, like, how do you get the, like, what's for the next people?
15:24So it's just like a lot of times the community of the brewery doesn't reflect the community that they're in.
15:31So I feel like if you're being authentic with yourself and the community that you're in, you're going to get
15:36the clientele in your door.
15:38There is a huge disconnect.
15:40Yeah.
15:40For sure.
15:41For sure.
15:41So kind of like Buick.
15:42It's like we can only sell these cars to so many people for so long.
15:46You got to switch it up.
15:46Right.
15:47Exactly.
15:48Exactly.
15:48For sure.
15:49For sure.
15:50How do you feel about non-alcoholic?
15:52Have you brewed a non-alcoholic beer yet?
15:53Yeah, I have.
15:55How do you feel?
15:56Because people are not drinking as much.
15:57I know THC drinks are more of a thing now.
16:00But NAs, I just saw something today that said by 2033, I believe the growth was going to be like
16:08almost 1,000% for non-alcoholic beer.
16:11How do you feel about that?
16:12I think it's important.
16:13It's a healthier option, but it doesn't necessarily take away the craftsmanship of it.
16:19I know that the growth in non-alcoholic beer and the flavor profile has grown a lot because of the
16:24trial and error for it.
16:26Like before, I felt like it was a little bit, it was still missing something.
16:29It wasn't as like cohesive.
16:31But now you still get more of the other, you know, characteristics of like a beer that would have alcohol
16:37in it, like a lot of the undertones.
16:39So I do like the fact that there's still craftsmanship in the product and it's healthier for people.
16:45Because obviously over excessive in anything is not good, especially alcohol.
16:49There are really no benefits at all.
16:51I still drink it, still drink beer.
16:53But, you know, so it's just like you can still have a profit.
16:57You're still promoting your product and you're thinking about your guests, you know.
17:01And you can like have one alcohol and go back and forth, you know.
17:04Like let me start off with a non-alcoholic and then do my regular.
17:08And then, you know, it helps with pacing as well too.
17:11So overall I think it's a great thing as well.
17:14So for somebody who is like, oh, I don't really like beer or I'm just starting out, what would be
17:20kind of like your gateway drug for somebody who would like beer at some point?
17:28I would say most of the time if they don't like beer, they're mostly probably liquor forward maybe.
17:35So I'll probably do like a sour or a tart because it's more flavor forward and not have all the
17:41bitterness on it.
17:42It's better in a way that you're used to in like a cocktail.
17:46So I would do more of like a gosa or a tart because it has like the little that people
17:51like to have.
17:52So that would be my thing.
17:55Okay, that makes sense.
17:56Yeah.
17:56And it depends for me.
17:58I definitely, like you said, I would, if you like coffee, I'm going to push you towards a stout.
18:04Yeah.
18:05If you like sweet drinks, I'm going to push you towards probably a pastry stout or maybe a farmhouse ale
18:13with a little bit of adjuncts or something like that.
18:15Yeah.
18:15So no, that's actually a good point.
18:17And does that happen a lot?
18:18Like, because people kind of get the misconception that people that don't like beer don't go to breweries, which is
18:23not true.
18:24Yeah.
18:24And also we have like the Slurpee machine too a lot of times.
18:28A lot of breweries will have the Slurpee machine that's just almost like, you know, like a daiquiri for down
18:32here.
18:33And it still has, you know, a frozen daiquiri.
18:35So that's also something that's available as well.
18:37For sure.
18:38Yeah.
18:38Do you see, and be honest, do you see progress in this business or as far as getting more women,
18:48more black people into it?
18:49Or are we kind of at a stalemate right now?
18:54It's a mixture.
18:55I think for me, I have seen progress overall.
18:58I just think that we're being down here in New Orleans.
19:02It's been really slow.
19:03Yeah.
19:03It's been really slow.
19:04I have seen a lot of progress in other states, especially like in the Northeast and things like that, especially
19:10with MJF.
19:11And people are still currently able to get scholarships.
19:15Most people don't know what MJF is.
19:17Oh, sorry.
19:18So talk a little bit about that.
19:18Yeah, so MJF is a scholarship for people of color to go into any type of fermentation.
19:25So whether it be brewing, winery, distilling, or food, it covers all of those aspects.
19:32So to get more people of color into those things.
19:36So, yeah, I have seen it more in the North, but in the South, it's still a little slow.
19:41But like in the South, in New Orleans, it's more cocktail forward.
19:44So I've seen great bartenders come out of the city.
19:46But a lot of people in the actual fermentation part, it's been still a little slow.
19:51Yeah.
19:51I would say I remember when all you were going to get here was Abita.
19:57Yeah.
19:57Which is very basic beer.
20:00Yeah.
20:00Now, even though the scene is not as popping as a lot of other cities, it is a million times
20:07better than it was even five years ago.
20:10And New Orleans is really not that big.
20:11It's really compact, but it's not a huge city, you know?
20:14Right.
20:14Yeah, it's very small.
20:16But, yeah, that's what I've seen.
20:18Like, a lot of great bartenders, especially through turning tables, which is a great thing in New Orleans for getting
20:23black bartenders into those high-end restaurants.
20:26Yeah.
20:26So I've seen great work come from there.
20:28But not of people like me in the back end of actual fermentation.
20:32It's been still, it's been really slow.
20:34Okay.
20:35So as far as progress, again, there are organizations, one of which you're a part of, Pink Boots.
20:42Can you talk a little bit about that?
20:44So Pink Boots is women and non-binary and people who identify as women.
20:50It's a fermentation society, and there are different chapters, I believe, across the world.
20:55But I know it's mostly in the United States Forward.
20:58And we have a chapter in New Orleans, and we have meetings, monthly meetings.
21:02And it's for women to, in all aspects, whether you ferment or you're in sales or you're in marketing, as
21:09long as you work in a fermentation company, you're allowed to incorporate into Pink Boots.
21:15So then it's just a way you can, like, just decompress with people and learn from each other.
21:19And also, like, you know, how are you doing this?
21:20How are you doing that?
21:21Or how do you deal with these types of situations?
21:24And you grow and build it together.
21:26Okay.
21:27So final question and final talking point.
21:29Like, in your opinion, what is the future of beer?
21:35I would say beer is going to be, I don't want to say it like that.
21:42Next question.
21:44Keep it one of us a lot.
21:47I would just say the future of beer is simpler, I would say.
21:51It's simpler.
21:52I feel like people are trying to just overcomplicate stuff, and it's, like, not to make it super, super simple,
21:58but it's alcohol.
21:59It's supposed to bring people together.
22:01It's not supposed to separate us.
22:03It's not supposed to do all these things, which a lot of times it does.
22:06It creates beer snobs and this, that, or homebrewers versus blah, blah, blah.
22:10I just feel like when it comes down to how it started, we made it at our house with our
22:15family, for our family, for our community.
22:17That's simpler.
22:18And it's just getting back to, it's supposed to be simpler.
22:21Yeah.
22:22Yeah.
22:22I agree.
22:23And I also think the future of it is us.
22:27Yep.
22:28At the end of the day, there was a time when tequila wasn't cool.
22:33Yeah.
22:34There was a time when vodka wasn't cool.
22:36Time when whiskey wasn't cool.
22:38All of those things became cool because of us.
22:41Yeah.
22:42We are always the early adopters.
22:44We are always the people that make things cool to the masses.
22:49So it is up to us to barrel and flow.
22:54Yep.
22:55At Lantucky in Atlanta.
22:56Bruising banter in Delaware.
22:58Craft and Actors in Atlanta, right?
23:00Crafted for Action in Atlanta.
23:03Yep.
23:04Anywhere you go in a city, go to that black-owned brewery that has one.
23:08Go to a brew bar.
23:10Ask them what's popping and don't, it obviously support black folks, support women, but also support local breweries that are
23:17allies.
23:18Yes.
23:18We've done a bunch of collabs with large breweries across the country.
23:22Most of them black-owned.
23:24Some of them are not.
23:25Yeah.
23:25So it's really up to us to keep this thing going.
23:27And also, most importantly, follow drought season on social media.
23:33D-A-R-U-G-H-T season on social media.
23:38Really appreciate y'all.
23:39Thank you, Essence.
23:40Thank you, Coca-Cola, for doing the food and wine stage.
23:43And we'll see you soon.
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