Four Women are Leading the Charge in Colorado’s Beverage Industry

From left to right: Ellen Husch, Cassidee Shull, Shawnee Adelson and Meagan Miller

The Colorado Liquid Arts is a collective that is composed of the Colorado Brewers Guild, the Colorado Association for Viticulture & Enology (CAVE), the Colorado Cider Guild and the Colorado Distillers Guild. This spring these four manufacturing organizations, which are led by women, will launch a statewide digital passport to promote breweries, cideries, distilleries and wineries across the state.

As we approach International Women’s Day on March 8, we’re putting a spotlight on these incredible women who are fearlessly fighting for the survival of their members. In their own words, these guild leaders share how the pandemic impacted their respective industries, what they have been able to accomplish, and what they hope for women in the future. 

Colorado Brewers Guild

Name and Title: Shawnee Adelson, Executive Director

Proudest recent accomplishment:
When the Governor was considering reopening the state, breweries were going to be left closed. Along with other stakeholders, I was able to negotiate that they would be allowed to reopen alongside their restaurant counterparts. Many other states were not so lucky and some continue to struggle with reopening guidelines. This was essential to ensuring that breweries had a fighting chance to survive the pandemic. 

Impact that the pandemic had on your guild:
2020 was certainly a difficult year financially for the CBG given the lack of events, which are traditionally fundraisers for our organization. Just like breweries, we had to make changes to how we operate and adapt, which unfortunately included laying off two staff members. Due to the changes we made and the support of the beer community, we were able to ensure that the CBG is still here to promote, protect, and propel Colorado's craft breweries. We are not out of the woods yet and 2021 might be just as difficult for us. We don't anticipate being able to hold traditional beer festivals for at least the first half of the year, but we are exploring options for potentially hosting those events later in the year, if it is safe to do so. Plus we just hired a new staff member who will support the guild in fundraising efforts. 

Challenges that the industry faces:
The most obvious answer is recovery from the pandemic. Some breweries have seen a 50% drop in volume, which often equates to an even larger decrease in revenue. Recovery will likely take multiple years. The CBG is committed to our mission to promote, protect, and propel independent Colorado craft breweries. We will continue to advocate at the state and federal level for favorable laws and regulations for breweries. We are working on various initiatives to market Colorado craft breweries and remind the public that they continue to need their support. And we will continue to provide education and resources to ensure that we remain the State of Craft Beer.

Improvement in the industry for women:
In Colorado, we are lucky to have many women leaders in the craft beer industry. This includes the more well known names like Kim Jordan and Wynne Odell, but also numerous women who brew, package, sell, market, serve, and love world class beer. Although we have strong women figures in craft beer, unfortunately beer is still often considered a man's beverage and industry. When we stereotype a beer drinker or brewer as a bearded man, we discredit all of the women who are dedicated to Colorado craft beer. Women in craft beer are not an anomaly. They are working in all levels of the industry. By moving away from this stereotype, we can become a more inclusive industry that not only celebrates the women who are already here, but also creates a more welcoming environment for women.

Colorado Association for Viticulture & Enology (CAVE)

Name and Title: Cassidee Shull, Executive Director

Proudest recent accomplishment:

Every January, CAVE hosts a regional trade conference, VinCO, usually held in person in Grand Junction. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we shifted the event to an online platform hosting over 20 speakers from across the country to speak to our industry about winemaking, grape growing, marketing and legislative updates. Because the conference was offered online, it gave members the chance to attend while still tending to their day-to-day business needs from bottling, opening their tasting rooms and filling online orders. All sessions were recorded and available for later viewing. The response was overwhelmingly positive and we were happy to offer a week of educational learning during a difficult time for our industry.

Impact that the pandemic had on your guild:

Beginning last spring, CAVE shifted our focus from event-based fundraising on behalf of the membership to Covid and legislation information sharing. With the ever-changing executive orders that had very real and lasting effects on our members, it became incredibly clear to open the lines of communication as fast as possible. We immediately began hosting weekly Industry Webinars, offering the wine and grape industry a space to gather, catch their breath and leave with more information on everything from filing loans and grant paperwork to Liquor Enforcement updates. We saw (and continue to see) our industry persevere like never before.

Challenges that the industry faces:
Last fall, Western Colorado suffered a devastating freeze that greatly affected our grapevines. We are working hand in hand with our state viticulturist, Dr. Horst Caspari, offering educational webinars focused on pruning and retraining techniques as well as Disaster Assistance for Crop Loss for our industry. We also continue to advocate for our industry in regards to the Covid-19 pandemic, encouraging consumers to "Buy Local' supporting their Colorado winemakers. 

Improvement in the industry for women:

I believe seeing successful women in the wine industry will inspire the next generation of winemakers and those in leadership positions. Just a few short years ago, I was interviewed for a story on Women in the Colorado Wine Industry and just five women were featured. I am proud to say that if we ran this same piece today, we would have dozens of incredible women in our industry to interview. Women who have made astounding contributions to this industry!

Colorado Cider Guild and American Cider Associaton

Name and Title: Ellen Husch, Administrator

Proudest recent accomplishment:

Our national conference, CiderCon, took place earlier this month. This was my first time producing a virtual conference and I had no idea what to expect. The show was a resounding success, with attendees from 41 states and 18 countries attending. It was super rewarding to be able to network with people from all around the world who would not have been able to attend an in-person show.

Impact that the pandemic had on your guild:
Same as everyone else…The shutdowns and working to find ways to stay open and still serve your patrons has been very challenging. The opening and closing guidelines changing constantly have been stressful and hard to keep up with. It’s tough to ask people to renew their membership when they’re not sure if they will even be open for the next month. Add to that the cancellation of all festivals and tastings that we, as a guild, rely upon each year, and it’s really been a difficult time. 

Challenges that the industry faces:
Covid has been a challenge that none of us could have foreseen. As a guild, we try to update our members as much as possible. We have communication tools between our members where they can reach out to each other for advice or just to chat. We update our website with our members hours of operation and different takeout or to-go options.  One big non-pandemic related challenge is getting more people to try cider.  A lot of people want to group us in with beer or wine, when cider is really its own category, with at least a dozen different styles. 

Improvement in the industry for women:
Nationally – salary equality; better, more affordable child care and more flexible working hours. We have a national organization called Pomme Boots that caters to women in the cider industry and they are so supportive of each other and sharing advice and experiences. I think this sort of support group would be beneficial for women in any industry.   

Colorado Distillers Guild

Name and Title: Meagan Miller, Co-Founder & Vice President of Talnua Distillery, President of the Colorado Distillers Guild

Proudest recent accomplishment:
Working with these other strong ladies during 2020 and all that the pandemic brought to our combined craft beverage manufacturing industries has been a source of pride for me. Bringing our industries together to form a voice of unity in communications with the Governor’s Office and the Liquor Enforcement Division has led us to creating the Liquid Arts Passport Program and the beginning of working together more in the future.

Impact that the pandemic had on your guild:
Keeping up with the ever-changing rules and requirements has been a challenge. I’ve had to constantly reach out to local chamber members, government officials and the LED to clarify each new regulation and then disseminate that information to our guild members. This is why working with the other guilds, and having our own great team in the Distiller’s Guild, has been so helpful.  I think communication within our own guild improved within the last year, and I look forward to keeping that momentum going.

Challenges that the industry face:
The Craft Beverage Modernization and Reformation Act was made permanent at the end of 2020, which is a tremendous win for our guild.  Having the certainty of parity of Federal Excise Taxes to wine and beer has helped our members retain employees, hire new employees, keep their businesses open, and even helped expand their businesses in some cases.  

The current challenges or legislative goals we have include the following: having the ability to have more than two tasting rooms and direct-to-consumer shipping.

To learn more about these organizations, please visit: Colorado Brewers Guild, Colorado Association for Viticulture & Enology, Colorado Distillers Guild and Colorado Cider Guild.