Tyler Smith is making history in Arizona by opening the first Black-owned brewery in the state.
“I used to work for Nike, so when I’m not brewing, I’m a Jordan wearing, Nike hat wearing, big overalls type of guy,” he said.
Following worldwide protests calling for police reform and transform, a Texas brewer launched a nationwide effort to raise money for civil rights organizations. Brewers across the country began to back the “Black is Beautiful Beer” campaign to donate the proceeds to the NAACP, ACLU and other organizations.
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Insead of watching on the sidelines, Smith decided to work with a Phoenix brewery on the campaign. Smith’s collaboration with Simple Machine allowed him to start Kitsune Brewing out of their brew space.
“When I hear first black-owned brewery, all I think about is this my opportunity to reach out, and shake the hands of the women, Latinos, and Blacks out there who maybe didn’t think this was an option for them,” Smith added. “This was everything I hoped it could be. This is perfect.”