Who's That Gal: Eugenia Brown, Founder of Beer Chick LLC

Name: Eugenia Brown
Age: 32
Occupation: Beertender / Entrpreneur / Mental Health Professional 
Currently living in: Charlotte, NC
Hometown: Raleigh, NC 
Currently reading: Malt by John Mallet
Favorite workout: Hula Hooping
I never leave home without: My cellphone 

 What inspired you to start Black Beer Chick?

 When I first started Black Beer Chick I needed an escape from my job. I was working 60 hours a week as an Operations Manager for a mental health agency, and having a beer after work and visiting breweries on the weekend was my escape. It initially started off as a passion project and a simple way for me to connect with people on social media who shared a love of beer. It has sense turned into a business and lifestyle brand. 

What’s been the most rewarding or best part so far of starting your business?

 I think the best part about starting my business has been seeing people in my apparel. It feels amazing knowing that people connect to my brand and believe in it enough to buy it and wear. I have shipped stuff all over the country as of now, and I have a lot of people that are repeat customers. 

 What have been some of the biggest challenges along the way? 

I think one of the biggest challenges have been access to capital. My brand grew a lot faster than I expected, and so it has been hard to keep product in stock as well as renew new product with a limited budget. There is also a lot of red tape to cross regarding taxes, and other important documents that are needed to start a business. 

 The new fundraiser you are working on sounds amazing! Please tell us more about it and what you hope to accomplish by raising funds. 

My new fundraiser called “Road to 50” which now has become “Road to 100” started off as a way for me to help women of color get connected to the beer industry through beer education. In the beer industry, women are extremely underrepresented. When you begin to talk about women of color, that number grows. While all industries have their own set of issues, one of the things I’ve noticed since entering the beer industry is that it lacks diversity and inclusion. Quite often when I would enter breweries, or even in my experience as a person working at a brewery, usually I was the “token black girl.” This initiative means a lot to me because I'm hoping by helping women receive their Certified Beer Server certification, I can help them get connected to careers in the beer industry. The motivation for the fundraiser and the name of the shirt I am selling to raise the funds for this certification is called “More bridges, Less barriers.” The thought behind this was really inspired by the fact that I think we already have enough things separating us and creating unnecessary barriers, so the question now becomes, how do we eliminate some of those barriers and instead create bridges and help connect people to the industry instead. 

Charlotte has been growing like crazy in its number of local breweries. What do you see for the future of the craft beer industry there?

 A lot of people think we have reached our peak as it relates to craft beer in Charlotte. I think we are honestly just getting started. Until every neighborhood has a local brewery, I think the opportunity for growth is endless.  

How have you pivoted your business during the Covid-19 pandemic to become more virtual?

Because I started my business as an online brand it has always in a sense been virtual. However, with me not being able to create content and connect with the people at my brewery, I’ve had to get creative and more intentional about the content I produced to keep people engaged and connected. For example, with most states requiring masks, I decided to release a beer chick face mask. 

 What is your current favorite beer or beers? What’s your favorite Charlotte area brewery?

Currently I am really loving anything that is malty of malt forward. So typically, brown ales, red ales, and even marzens (Oktoberfest beer)  would fall into this category. Free Range has a beer called “Carolina Common Ale” and its my new favorite. Its a very clean beer with the perfect malt profile that adds to a well-balanced, subtly sweet, and roasted caramel taste. 

 What advice would you give to other women who are interested in becoming a part of the beer and brewery community?

Just do it! When I first entered the scene I felt very intimidated by the amount of guys in the industry. However, there are tons of women that are supportive and there is even a organization called Pink Boots which is a women led organization that sole purpose is to assist, empower, and inspire women in the craft beer profession. Connecting with this organization and finding “my tribe” of sorts has been so amazing! While its easy to think that most of the people woke up knowing everything they know about beer, I often have to remind myself that they all started one day and this is literally years of knowledge accumulation. While the industry is intimidating, there is something also very empowering in being in a male dominated space and being comfortable enough to do what you love.

Love reading about inspiring women?

Heather Finn is a clinical social worker living and working in North Carolina. You can follow Heather on Twitter @heatherlynnsw.

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