The beverage industry is as diverse as the libations it produces. While the big house brands are still popular on shelves, your next favorite refreshment might just be from one of the fastest-growing drink innovators in the market, the Black community.
For those looking for a new addition to your home bar or to just add a bit more culture to your morning cup of Joe, the Black-owned beverage industry is boozing and booming. From spirits to soda, there’s a drink out there for everyone to enjoy and, in turn, a story behind everything you pour. We’re peeling back the label on some of the best Black-owned beverage companies to sip and support.
La Fête du Rosé
From the shores of the South of France, La Fête brings its premium rosé wine to your door. With a focus on environmental and cultural sustainability, Founder Donae Burston has partnered with some of the most prestigious wine producers in Saint-Tropez, resulting in a bright and tangy, fruity, and crisp soft pink rosé that has won over wine connoisseurs across continents. In addition to great taste, each bottle comes with a sip of social impact with a portion of the proceeds donated to various organizations that offer underserved & underrepresented youth unique travel experiences to help them grow as global citizens.
Theopolis Vineyards
Founded in 2003 by Theodora R. Lee “Theo-patra, Queen of the Vineyards.” Theopolis Vineyards is a small lot vineyard and hand-crafted winery located in the Yorkville Highlands of the Anderson Valley in California. Notably for its Best in Class, Double Gold, 95 Points 2013 Estate Grown Petite Sirah, and its Double Gold 2014 Estate Grown Rosé of Petite Sirah. From trial lawyer to the award-winning vintner, Lee’s passion for enology and spectacular grapes has earned Theopolis a place as one of the best vineyards in the region.
Ellis Infinity Beverage Company
Detroit native Nailah Ellis began selling her great grandfather’s coveted Jamaican Sweet Tea recipe, from the trunk of her car in 2008. Through her determination and the tea’s irresistible taste, Ellis Infinity Beverage Company is now the largest Black-woman-owned beverage manufacturing business in the United States and recently received an investment from actor Kevin Hart.
Dope Coffee
With a mission to show the world that premium coffee and Black culture go hand in hand, Dope Coffee has created a community around the morning cup. The Black-owned, woman-owned, and veteran-owned company sells top-of-the-line international coffees as well as a line of skincare products and a newly released album. Founder Chel and Michael Loyd and Julius Cave’s Atlanta-based brick-and-mortar location also serve as a coffee shop and community center with a focus on taking the conversation of Black culture and entrepreneurship far past just coffee.
Sankofa Beer Company
Named after a phrase from the Ashanti/Akan people of Ghana meaning to “Go back and get,” Sankofa is a Black-owned Washington, D.C.-based producer and distributor of premium craft beer blend delicious hops with West African history. Amado Carsky and Kofi Meroe’s signature beers like the Organic Dried Hibiscus, a refreshing pale ale with a tropical flowery aroma, and the Cocoa Coast, a sweet stout brewed with lactose and cocoa nibs offer a heavy pour of Africa in every brew.
Den of Thieves
Bringing back the honor among whiskey-making is the motto of Den of Thieves. Jason Armstrong, the purveyor behind this Black-owned line of infused whiskeys, created the brand out of passion and innovation. Available in 3 flavors — straight bourbon, ginger vanilla, and chocolate, Armstrong has created an approachable and eclectic variety of blends that are a hit with new drinkers and bourbon aficionados alike.
Revel
Taking a shot at changing the spirit game, Revel has created a completely new agave-based spirit. Avila is a category of agave spirits similar to tequila and mezcal made from 100% blue weber agave but grown in the Morelos region, a small state in the south-central part of Mexico under the shadow of the Popocatépetl volcano, and is sold in three expressions: Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo. Founders Micah McFarlane and Jacqui Thompson are leading a mission to deliver the finest organic spirits available, utilizing fair-trade and sustainable farming practices, and recently became partners with This Is Us actor Justin Hartley.
Vegan Smart
Duke alumnus Claude Tellis and Kareem Cook set out to address the generational issues of diet-related illnesses like diabetes and heart disease in the Black community. Beginning in 2002 with Healthy Body Products, a healthy vending machine company that provides healthier options to Los Angeles public schools, the brand evolved into VeganSmart, an entire line of plant-based nutritional protein powders and drinks that are both nutritious and delicious. With the help of NBA stars like Magic Johnson and Grant Hill, they are bringing natural plant-based foods and products to urban communities across America.
Bingo Bango Fresh Fruit Soda Company
Based in Winston-Salem, N.C., Michael Robinson is the creator and owner of one of the first Black-owned artisanal soda companies in the industry. With flavors like strawberry lemonade, cranapple honey, and lemon peach pomegranate, Bingo-Bango Fresh Fruit Soda Company is breaking barriers in the bottled refreshment market with this all-natural, fresh-fruit handcrafted soda.
Assembly Brewing
One of Portland’s fastest-growing neighborhoods is also home to Assembly Brewing. Co-founder and head brewer George Johnson opened the doors to his place last March. Since then, he’s been turning out quality IPAs as well as lighter options like Kölsch, a blonde, and a wheat.
Crowns and Hops
Based in the Inglewood area of Los Angeles, Crowns and Hops is making quite a splash. It’s the neighborhood’s first Black-owned brewery and brings a new perspective to the surging L.A. beer realm. A new brewing space is in the works and founders Teo Hunter and Beny Ashburn have embraced the role in style, with a growing legion of admirers and a social media presence that’s spreading the word of minority-run labels.
Frichette Winery
Washington state producer Frichette Winery focuses on fruit from the distinctive Red Mountain AVA. Co-owner Shae Frichette is originally from South Carolina and helps head a small label working with Merlot, Cab, Semillon, and more. At just around 1,400 cases per year, it’s a real family-run, small-batch operation.
Maison Noir
Launched by André Mack, Maison Noir represents both a love affair with the Willamette Valley and a creative shake-up within the traditional wine system. Mack, who worked the floor for years as a somm, now makes fantastic wine under an equally fantastic aesthetic, sporting names like O.P.P. (Other People’s Pinot Noir) and Oregogne. Maison Noir is as much as an eye-catching brand as it is a purveyor of reasonably priced adult juice.
McBride Sisters Wine
McBride Sisters is the brainchild of siblings Robin and Andréa McBride, who grew up in the wine regions of Marlborough, New Zealand, and Monterrey, California. The label is the byproduct of a shared love for wine and is now the largest Black-owned producer in the country. The wines offer an expansive view of the Northern California wine scene, from Riesling and Chardonnay to bold red blends. They even source fruit from New Zealand to make bubbly and some Sauvignon Blanc.
Stoney Wines
Donna Stoney did not fall into the wine game. She took a nobler route, working as a social worker in Oregon. In fact, she’s the state’s first Black female case manager for the Department of Human Services. She’s now a vintner, having studied under fellow Willamette Valley winemaker Bertony Faustin. As of last fall when her label officially launched, Stoney crafts Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Rosé.
Uncle Nearest
Based in Tennessee, Uncle Nearest is inspired by the slave distiller nobody knew at the time named Nathan Green. He helped jump-start one of the biggest names in American whiskey — Jack Daniel’s — without so much as an ounce of credit. Today, the distillery honors that legacy through a family of whiskeys. Construction continues on an expanded part of the facility that presently offers tours and immersive tastings.
Read more: Uncle Nearest is a Whiskey Named After the First African-American Master Distiller
Brough Brothers
Brough Brothers work out of Kentucky, focused on bourbon. The west Louisville label is run by a trio of siblings in Victor, Chris, and Bryson Yarbrough, with a micro-distillery facility set to open later this year. It’s set to be the state’s first Black-owned bourbon operation, which sounds crazy given the contextual history.
Cultured Kombucha
Focused on craft probiotics, Cultured Kombucha is based in Washington, D.C. Founder and chief brewing officer Milan Jordan says she started the outfit to expand the wellness movement into a more diverse territory. Her work is incredibly appetizing, with flavors like Lotus Flower Bomb (lavender, rose, agave, green tea) and Straight Outta Concord (black tea and Concord grapes).
Calabash Tea
Calabash is a D.C.-based tea and tonic outfit run by Sunyatta Amen. She trained under master herbalists working as a kid at her parents’ herbal shop and juice bar in New York. While Calabash touts a whole host of great medicinal goods, the tea stands out; lovely and sensuous chai blends that can be shipped throughout the country.
Du Nord Craft Spirits
Twin Cities distillery Du Nord Craft Spirits launched in 2013. Run by husband-and-wife team Chris and Shanelle Montana, the outfit focuses on whiskey, vodka, and gin, along with some extremely Minnesotan hooch, like apple du nord, lightly spiced and made from local corn. The smooth-drinking spirits are reason enough to support Du Nord. The fact that the distillery was significantly damaged during the recent protests is yet another.
Loft + Bear
Headquartered in downtown Los Angeles, Loft + Bear was founded, in a loft, in 2014 by Paul Ryan. The company’s small-batch work revolves around the flagship vodka, one that’s been described as a “whiskey drinker’s vodka.” It’s full of finesse and more aromatic than your typical clear grain liquor. Cooler still, a portion of the distillery’s proceeds go towards the L.A. homeless population via PATH.
Ten to One Rum
Many in the drinks realm have already heard the story of Marc Farrell, current rum ambassador and formerly Starbucks’ youngest-ever vice president. Farrell jump-started the Ten to One brand last summer, looking to put rum on a pedestal from a Caribbean perspective. His work is split between a white and dark rum expression, blended in Holland and sourced from Jamaica, Barbados, the Dominican Republic, and his native Trinidad.
