Keith: [00:00:01] All right, today I have Benny and Teo, founders of Crowns and Hoppes, welcome to the show, guys. [00:00:05][4.8]
Beny: [00:00:06] thank you. Hello. Hello. [00:00:08][1.8]
Keith: [00:00:08] Yeah, I'm really excited to talk to you. I've been a big fan of craft beer for many, many years. And what I'm loving that I'm seeing is that the world continues to grow in the craft. Beer in the community continues to grow. And what's most exciting is people of different backgrounds are starting to get into it. Right. You can see my face. I'm probably what you'd normally walk into a craft beer place and see, which is kind of that bearded dude walking in and tasting their beers. But you guys are actually adding something different to the scene. Can you tell me a little bit about how you started Crowns and Hops? [00:00:37][29.1]
Teo: [00:00:38] What I'm going to do, I'm a bearded dude, too. So there's that. I mean, and know I think Beny can speak to it. I mean, we're literally about to do a festival called Beers Without Beards. So, you know, both of us going to be sitting on the sidewalk, but my dope CEO get into who we are. [00:00:58][19.9]
Beny: [00:00:59] Yeah. So we started probably about eight years ago. Teo really introduced me to the world of craft beer. I was completely oblivious to understanding that craft could be so complex and could be so absolutely delicious. And I learned from just watching him in supermarkets. Something as simple as going into the aisles. And you would think Teo worked there because he would engage with people coming into the store and like, so what kind of beer do you drink? How can I help you and they're like do you work here? It's it's so bizarre. But it was so fascinating because he loved it so much and his passion was super contagious as it relates to me and my understanding of craft beer, craft beer culture but what we noticed is there weren't any people of color. There was no diversity. It was really mainly just me and Teo when we would go to events or breweries and really just kind of talking to ourselves inside of our own little hemispheres. So together with his experience [00:02:06][66.9]
Teo: [00:02:07] Please, I'll talk to anybody. Are you serious girl? [00:02:08][0.8]
Beny: [00:02:09] I mean, yes, he talks to everybody. But the point is there wasn't anyone in the room that looked like us. That maybe came from where we came from, you know, and it was obvious. It was very obvious. But Teo with his phenomenal palate and me, with my brand marketing experience, saw an opportunity to create a world in which black and brown people could find a place to connect inside of the craft beer space. And that's how our original company, Dope and Dank, Black people of Beer started. [00:02:44][34.3]
Keith: [00:02:45] And so that original company was more of an events-based company. Right. A lifestyle company to get people. Would you say the idea is more comfortable with craft beer or to kind of celebrate and show everyone else that there already was this community built, it just wasn't getting the proper recognition? [00:02:59][14.8]
Teo: [00:03:01] Well, let's be honest. You can definitely feel more at home when you see yourself in something, you can feel like you can speak how you normally speak and not how you speak at work, you know, especially in a pub or in a bar or taproom. You know, there's something about just being able to be yourself somewhere that, you know, is meant to be the place where you let your hair down or, you know, and if you don't see that, then you're kind of always on point. You know, you're always, I think, you know, waiting for I don't know, I guess, you know, and again, applying it to like how you feel at work is, I think the feeling that I would hope that all the listeners understand is the feeling of being the only one in the room. You know, it sucks, you know, you just can't relax and chill, you know? And Beny saw that as not only a huge obstacle and a problem to solve, but, you know, we just saw it as an opportunity as well. You know, there are a ton of people that could stand to use a space that they could just be their most authentic self, you know? And, you know, we learned it from corralling a community online where black people love beer and brown people love beer. We experienced it once we started creating our activations with Dope and Dank and just doing pop ups. And then we realized that the ultimate goal was to achieve racial equity and craft beer by owning a craft brewery and a brewpub. [00:04:32][91.6]
Keith: [00:04:33] So what was that inflection point? Right. You're putting on these events. You're having people come up to you and talk to you about the community you're building. Was it was it money, was it branding, was it what was it that made you guys go, you know what, we've got to be making this ourselves. [00:04:46][12.4]
Beny: [00:04:46] So, yeah, it was our first beer collaboration that we did with brewing company. And we did a release party release event. And, you know, they they told us, listen, this is probably one of the biggest events we've had, even bigger than our own anniversary party. Right. And I think there was a moment inside the actual day and we just kind of looked around and we were like, wish we could do this. Like, this is we're past the point of requesting borrowed time in other people's spaces for this one moment for people of color to come together to celebrate when when we leave here, based on all of the social presence we created in the digital movement. And black people love their brown people out there. We saw that those moments were happening every single solitary day. It wasn't just once a month, once every two months. But yet there wasn't any place for them to go and celebrate on a consistent level and have these moments and do the sharing and connect. So we knew that it was time for us to really put the business plan together and figure out how do we become the not only brewery space, but get our products on shelves as well. The biggest turning point, T I'll let you talk about, [00:06:05][79.0]
Teo: [00:06:06] well, one, you know, in shout out to, you know, every brewery and brewer and brewery owner that maybe wasn't Brewer or whatever the case might be, who has helped us along the way. You know, we didn't get here by ourselves, definitely much to our own fruition, but El Segundo Brewing Company, LAL Works, Three Wevers, Temescal in Oakland, JW Wakefield in Miami have been huge contributors. But you know, again, I would say to Beny's point, the biggest turning point was I would say turning point one was realizing that we needed to prepare ourselves to be a brewing company. But the probably the most pivotal point was when we were working on a project with Brew Dog Elcano, which fairly is getting scrutiny right now for creating an environment that's conducive for everybody to feel accepted and loved and successful as well. They're definitely doing what they need to do on that front. But three years ago, they were one of the first organizations to acknowledge us and our efforts, you know, for not only what it would do for ourselves, but what it would ultimately do for the entire industry. You know, we tell any entrepreneur or anyone looking to finally jump out on their own to be fucking ready, like be ready, man, because, you know, you could wish and dream and hope that this that whatever you you've been, you know, keeps you up at night and whatever plan you have for yourself is just going to happen. It'll happen if you are ready for it to happen. And at that point in time being and I have flushed through this, I would say it was like a refined marketing that at that point we had gotten some numbers together. But by the time we were asked, what do you need in order to succeed, we had a business plan. We had the makings of what would be, you know, the beginning of our financial model and forecast. And we were ready for it. And there were one of our first investors. We did put together a team to build Crowns and Hops Brewing Company, find some contract brewers, because we realized that having products out that people could immediately find aligned with who we were was one of the most important things that we could do, because at the time there were literally companies being taken off shelves or not being aligned with the community's ideas and philosophy, we believe. [00:08:30][143.7]
Keith: [00:08:30] Thank you for bringing up contract breweries. Can you talk a little bit about that and the importance of that to collaborate with other breweries, but also to get your name out there and A. Just define what contract beer is? Because I don't know if many people know kind of that concept and then how that got you guys to kind of jump off and build your brand. [00:08:47][16.4]
Teo: [00:08:48] Sure. Go a little bit into the contract brand and let Beny pick up on the collaboration element is that definitely is a huge part of who we are and what we do and really, you know, sinking into the concepts of fundamentals of craft beer. But contract brewing is one pathway to being a brewing company. You know, a lot of people did not don't even understand it. Samuel Adams is still a contract. Yeah. [00:09:13][24.8]
Keith: [00:09:13] You know, biggest and most famous contract. Yeah, exactly. [00:09:16][2.4]
Teo: [00:09:17] But the reality is that Beny and I are not brewers. What we did have was a phenomenal concept for this industry and how to expand it, how to bring something different to the table and how to showcase some representation. So what we did, you know, I had the fortune of being able to work with a lot of phenomenal brewers over the past seven years and have a pretty decent palate. So with that palate and with the compilation of. And two production facilities were able to build recipes that are specific to these breweries, we have to contribute that. We work with one in Inglewood and one in Santa Rosa, and we're able to design recipes that can be specifically executed in these facilities and that allows us to produce liquid, to have it packaged and to enter it into distribution to where we could, from a company standpoint, we can grow our affinity, we can build our brand and we can build our portfolio even before we have our brick and mortar. And that was a strategy that was done partly by design and partly because of a pandemic. You know, we couldn't cope in a brick and mortar. We didn't make any business sense to do so. So we probably leaned in a little bit harder into that contract brewing model. But it's not foreign. Several brewing companies do it all over the world and it's the vehicle that we use to get Crowns and Hops on the map. [00:10:39][82.1]
Keith: [00:10:40] That's great. And then Beny, on the marketing side because you are able to produce and get things out there. Talk to me a little bit about the development of the logo, the development of the design esthetic of the cans. Right. That's starting to become for craft brewery, that's starting to become like the biggest thing people look for is like, what are the cans look like? What does this mean and what's the connection to the actual brewers who make it? Talk to me a little bit about that, that the design esthetic there. [00:11:03][23.5]
Beny: [00:11:04] I think having the creative and advertising experience that I have and Teo has from the product packaging side, we knew that it required some time and some patience to get it right. Right. So we started from scratch. We built the logo, the brand guidelines, the package, because we knew that what we were creating right now was going to last and needed to stand the test of time. It was important for us, just even in our name, that we have the word hops and Teo can talk about that. And so because a lot of people don't even understand that hops are a really key component in beer. And we wanted our logo, we want our branding to be representative of something that you see. And just like, oh, my God, that's so dope. But you don't have to necessarily say, oh, they must be black or associated with any particular race. Right. Because that's really not what this is about. This is about creating a brand that's connected to the culture that's missing in craft beer. And that culture that's missing is a mixture of brown and black communities. But our culture is very wide. It's hip hop [00:12:15][70.6]
Teo: [00:12:15] But you got to believe we got some cans that you're like, oh, yeah, they Black. Oh, yeah, OK. [00:12:20][4.6]
Beny: [00:12:22] You know, you don't lean in a little bit, be super specific, but we do have to like look right. [00:12:30][7.8]
Teo: [00:12:32] Juneteenth! Juneteenth was like look.. we celebrating motherfucker. [00:12:33][1.7]
Beny: [00:12:34] Yeah. Right. In the three month we'll be very specific. But but overall, when you look at all of our products, you immediately are drawn to it because the creativity is there and energy is there. And it feels like something that I think now people knowing us, Beny and Teo, the faces and the voices of this brand in this movement. This feels like us. And if you go to any brewery, when you walk in the door of the brewery, usually is a reflection of the owners. Right. So it's not to say black and brown people have been purposely excluded from the industry. It's just if white people are the only ones that one know about craft beer, vintage breweries understand breweries and they're the only ones opening up these facilities, then, of course, it's going to look like something, how they grew up and their culture. And I think that's why it's so important for us as black owners to create more black owners and brown owners in the industry so that our creativity and our products, all parts of the branding, can be truly reflective of what's been missing. And what's been missing has been us. [00:13:48][74.0]
Teo: [00:13:49] Yeah. And I think, you know, it almost goes without saying that Vinny and I bring our previous careers into this industry as well. It could be an assumption, but I think some people assume that if there's a black-owned crab brewery, that there's not going to be that attention to detail, that very specific, curated and well thought out packaging. You know, if you look at the packaging of Beat Messenger Pilsner, like we literally created a pattern based off of like cassette tapes, you know, mix tapes that are relevant relative to hip hop, specifically the concept of a mixtape, which I'm not even sure that this generation, even knows it was actually a tape [00:14:33][43.4]
Beny: [00:14:34] They have no idea, [00:14:35][0.5]
Keith: [00:14:36] They had to wait for. Well, for me, it was Hot 97. You had to wait for the song to come on Hot 97 and then hit record at the exact right time to get the song [00:14:41][5.6]
Teo: [00:14:45] Yeah, I mean, hey bro, I mean I mean, that's a type of nostalgia that we tap into with our brand. We tap into those things that literally have been missing. And, you know, Benny and I take, you know, a lot of time, you know, we spend a lot of money, which is another conversation we should probably tap into, which is cultural appropriation to curate our culture and craft beer. You know, because the reality is there have been people in this industry and other industries that have used our cultures and have made legacies for themselves off of it before black people in America, the descendants of African slaves in this country, and they've even remotely had an opportunity to capitalize on it. So Beny and I use this and you'll hear this several times as an opportunity to showcase black and brown excellence in a way that hasn't been done before because the resources haven't been the capital for capital intensive industries, hasn't been there. There are a lot of things that we're able to do with this company other than just make beer. You know that we are by far bigger than beer. [00:15:52][66.3]
Keith: [00:15:52] Let's go there a little bit. I wasn't going to go there, but I like this direction here. [00:15:56][4.1]
Teo: [00:15:56] Go there bro! [00:15:56][0.0]
Beny: [00:15:56] Go there damn it [00:15:56][0.0]
Keith: [00:16:02] you know, I grew up I grew up in Section eight housing, you know, so the bodegas and the corner stores that were right next to my apartment building had Colt 45, Micki's, you know, maybe, you know, Presidente was probably like the most expensive thing. And, you know, it felt, you know, as I grew up and started to learn more about beer, it felt intentional. What are your thoughts on that in terms of what's being marketed and what's being put in the stores where black, brown, Latino people live. [00:16:28][26.0]
Beny: [00:16:29] I think it's definitely intentional. You know, there are food deserts, but all part of which is the lack of having premium quality products and creating a world where you don't have to spend a lot of money just to just to have something. But it doesn't mean it's great, it doesn't mean it's good. And there's no education around the need and want to have something better, you know. So, yeah, it's funny. [00:16:52][23.3]
Teo: [00:16:53] There are literally government reports on and studies on how the alcohol industry descended on black and brown communities, low-income communities with these products. Poorly made products. Products with ingredients that would ramp up the alcohol content, but the ingredient or rather the process and ingredients that they use for it were terrible. You know, to do it in a way that was predatory, that was very intended to keep people in a place that did not align with what we know is craft beer fundamentals and concepts now, which are elements of ownership, of family, of sharing, of community. Like that's not the narrative that was brought up around the 40 ounce, you know, that was brought up with the concept of hypermasculinity, you know, of the toxic masculinity of, you know, abuse. Yeah, of abuse, of violence. You know, and it's interesting to see how some breweries have even taken that. They almost do puns off of it because, you know, when they're in their their town, they used to want to be a thug or whatever the case might be. You know, now today they'll do a special forty oz of whatever it is that they're doing. Not knowing that in my mind, when I see a 40 oz, I don't think that at all. The people and or a time to where exposure to premium things was not a part of our narrative. And that couldn't be remotely close to where we are today with it. You know, and I think we have, again, an opportunity not only as a company, but as an industry to correct that. [00:18:34][101.0]
Beny: [00:18:35] To add to that a lot of the marketing and branding geared towards these lower-income families are specifically meant for you not to ask questions about what you're buying and what you're taking in. Which is why when we did when we were a lifestyle brand, it was extremely important to us to create opportunities for people to ask questions. We knew we couldn't just start with products. Right, because then we'd be no better than all the other brands targeting people of color. We wanted you to understand the what, the why and the how of craft beer craft beer products of craft beer culture, and then let you decide, is this something that you like? Do you want to be a part of this community? And if you don't, it's fine, but look what it is and learn about it. And that was why it was important to show content. Black people bring black ownership at our events. We would have tastings. We'd have the actual brewery owners there in the Brewers. They are to answer any questions you had about how was this made? What does this come from? And I think when you start to create a world where you are, you can ask questions in a comfortable space. Then it starts to open up and expand, you know, and our mission is to preserve culture, build community and expand palates. [00:19:52][77.0]
Teo: [00:19:53] That is crazy how we had to kind of fight. You know, we're throwing stones at the efforts of these brewing companies. But from a marketing standpoint, the motherfuckers killed it. Like some of our dopest emcees or dopest artists. I mean, we're talking about everybody from Snoop to freakin, the Commodores to Red Fox to that, I mean, Billy Dee Willy [00:20:16][23.0]
Keith: [00:20:19] Billy Dee- Colt forty-five, works every time. [00:20:20][0.8]
Teo: [00:20:21] Not only was that so successful, it was so successful that they just started using an illustration of him, thirty years later bro, like it goes to show you how intentional and how targeted they were at an entire community to think that that was their craft beer that had belonged to them, that it belong, you know, they were to win, you know, if they champion this particular brand. And that couldn't have been further from the truth. You know, these companies didn't give a shit about this at all. You know, it's a different day. You know, people want to be aligned with products and companies that are aligned with the missions of their family and of their neighborhoods. And that's how Crowns and Hops is different. We use our skill set to incite change for the better of our community, not just to see them intoxicated and in a place where they can't unfold. [00:21:12][51.0]
Keith: [00:21:14] So how do you disrupt the distribution process? Right here in New York, it's, I think, three or four distribution companies and you've got to get on that truck, right? In order to get your beer into the store, you got to get on that truck. Are you finding new avenues or new ways to get your beer into the hands of craft beer lovers? [00:21:29][15.3]
Teo: [00:21:29] One, you know the two the three-tier system is there for a reason, you know that, and that's wholesalers, retailers and direct to consumer. What craft beer has been able to do extraordinarily well to include through the pandemic, is direct to consumers. We have opportunities to be direct to consumer. But there's another thing that happens. As it relates to lack of access to craft beer is having to travel outside of your community in order to access it, which is why we were so committed to Inglewood will be located on Crenshaw Boulevard and Manchester, a few blocks from where Nipsey Hussle started the marathon. So it was very important to that. But to answer your question, we do a bit of it all. Given that we do contract brew, we don't have access to as much liquid as we would like to have to where we could really exercise every tier of the system or the tiers that are available to us. So we use a tandem of getting beer out to our distributors and southern and Northern California, we do a limited edition drops in Atlanta, in New York and Portland, because we are in some ways, we're like everybody's local, you know, that loves dope shit, you know, so we can't be so fixated on being this money making model that everybody has to come to us to get the liquid. We also want to ensure that people that love culture, that love what we're doing have an opportunity to celebrate with their liquid as well. [00:23:04][94.5]
Beny: [00:23:05] The other thing to add to that, too, we have an opportunity to change an industry in many levels. Right? So it's not just the product on shelves. It's not just opening up a brick and mortar. But when you do talk about distribution, the conversations that we have with our distribution partners are, listen, this is your opportunity to get into neighborhoods and to get into stores you've never, ever been in before. You can actually create an entire new product demand in areas that wanted we didn't even know it existed. You know, Teo has done a phenomenal job of ensuring with every beer that we drop, we have allocations specifically going to our black retail partners and restaurants first to make sure that they're able to get what they need. Then it can go to the larger distributors. And that's not to say we don't have partners, of course, that are also not black, because we do we have some phenomenal support from some really amazing retail partners. But we do know that we have to support one another and create this ecosystem through the entire network where we all get an opportunity to weigh in and we all get an opportunity to shine. So you got to make change and you've got to push for it and know the power of your brand in order for that to happen. [00:24:23][78.2]
Teo: [00:24:24] And think about it. That's where we you know, when people hear that word racial equity, I don't know. I don't know if they truly understand what that means. What Beny just explained is by us being present in this distribution portfolio, it literally influences your entire portfolio. It's not just about Crowns and Hops winning here. This is about distribution strengthening. This is about other beers and breweries in the portfolio of the distributor being able to also benefit. This is a strategy for economic growth, period. So it would be far simpler to just go, here's our liquid, come and get it, and you just have to figure it out. But we feel like the opportunity to bring awareness and to make sure that people have access is far more important than just, you know, racking in the dollar. I mean, you know, you're probably you know, you're able to get our beer online through Tobor, through Crab Shack, Taproom. You're able to get it in stores because we work with Stone distribution. In-house distribution, by the way, shot out Colin and Shane Sayer. And Hen-house, they've done a phenomenal job because there's people that are in these organizations that are also just as excited to get our brand into places where they weren't able to do it before because they know that people are specifically looking for Crowns and Hops. And once they see Crowns and Hops, they are going to say Well, Damn. whats that chicken.. the can with the chicken on and all the animals. Let me try that, too. And that's how it works. It unfolds. It does. It just doesn't stay in the box. You know, [00:26:02][98.3]
Keith: [00:26:03] it's one of the parts of Craft Brewery that I love more than anything else is that exploration. And anybody that I've talked to in the community is is always open to try something new. I'd love to hear from you all. What was that first beer that kind of opened up your craft beer mind to the possibilities. [00:26:17][14.8]
Teo: [00:26:20] Easy, Pliny the Elder. Yeah. Oh, yeah. That's like a no brainer, man. That that was the one. I would say. There's three steps to Teo's craft beer journey. The very first beer that I was like, what the fuck am I drinking? Was Dead Guy Ale Rogue and that was that was over. That was maybe fifteen maybe but. Yeah, but ten, fifteen years ago. Are they that old. [00:26:45][25.6]
Keith: [00:26:46] Yeah. Yeah definitely. I was, I was bartending. Yeah. I was bartending in Chicago in 2003 and we had Rogue. And that was also one Rogue and Bells were kind of Bells Brewery in Michigan were kind of some of my gateway. [00:27:00][14.7]
Teo: [00:27:01] The other one was Allagash Curieux. Oh yeah. I've got to shout out to my boy, Matt Taylor, also our designer furnished studio, like an incredible design firm you brought me. And we celebrated with an Allagash Curieux, which were really good friends with Rod Todd now, which is super cool. But then Pliny the Elder, that was that was the that broke the seal. That was like that was everything and still is for me. [00:27:27][26.3]
Beny: [00:27:28] I you know, in the first early stages of this, I couldn't tell you the name of the beers I was drinking because there's way too many to try to understand, remember. But the style that completely changed it for me was the hazy, which, yeah, you know, for all the obvious reasons, it is the most popular style now, but I think. You know, I'm still not a huge fan of bitter, bitter beers, honestly. So for me, a hazy is that nice balance, right, between getting that really tropical aroma and notes. But then you still do a little bit of that bitterness, but not to it's not too heavy. And I'd like to say that at this point, I think we have the most perfect Hazy IPA, our BPLB signature beer that revolutionized the craft beer industry because BPLB stands for Brown People Love Beer. But yes, the hazy and it's the beer that I as we started doing events, which was also what a lot of people don't realize, that was our school, that was our beer school. You know, to a certain extent when we do smoke and we watch how people reacted to all of the different styles know. So you could especially people of color, because that's what we were target. We had to learn about our audience. Just because we're black doesn't mean we know everything that black people like to do. That's insane. Like we're not we're all very different. But I think especially on Teo's side, he could see how people were reacting to different recipes and different beer experiences to help craft what we knew we liked and then what our community be responsive to. And for me, it was always hazy. Hazy was always just try, you know, just try it. And then they taste it. First they smell it and they're blown away because the aroma is so different than a stinky Heineken, you know, or anything. They're just like, what? [00:29:26][117.8]
Keith: [00:29:26] I think it's like a fruit smoothie, right? [00:29:27][1.4]
Beny: [00:29:28] I'm like, oh, my God, this smells good. [00:29:30][2.2]
Teo: [00:29:30] Hilariously is a craft beer style right now. [00:29:33][2.5]
Beny: [00:29:33] I know right now, yeah. And then when they taste it, we love to watch the expressions on their faces because, you know, everybody was you know, I don't drink beer and then they taste it and, you know, we got them. They're hooked. And that's how you start to expand your palate. You start to expand your mind and you become very receptive. And you believe that there is more out there and that's how you grow. [00:30:00][27.2]
Keith: [00:30:01] Do you remember when your beer was on tap for the first time? Do you remember that feeling? Because it sounds like you have a very visceral connection to the community and to beer drinkers about it. Do you remember that first moment? You're like, oh, shit, our beers on tap here. [00:30:13][11.8]
Teo: [00:30:14] It wasn't even in this country. [00:30:15][0.8]
Beny: [00:30:16] Oh, it sure wasn't. [00:30:17][1.4]
Teo: [00:30:18] Technically the first time we had a Crowns and Hops beer pouring, that was our beer, because we had done a couple of collaborations up into that point for the first time that we had our beer pouring. That was an actual Crowns and Hops, was that the Brew Dog AGM festival. [00:30:34][16.4]
Keith: [00:30:37] Was that Scotland or not? [00:30:38][1.1]
Teo: [00:30:38] It was in London actually. In London which was the first one. That was really surreal. I mean, like what did you know what are the chances of the girl from Harlem and a kid from from Altadena, California, inglewood is going to have their first beer pouring in the UK for the first time. But it was it was a really interesting exploration because it was our first opportunity to see how what we designed was received by the community. I would even argue that, you know, we're on BPLB Hazy IPA version three. Version one was not great to me. It was super. I was terrified, man, because I knew what we wanted to do and it didn't come together like the way, you know. And I'm very open about this. And I talk to you guys. We started being influencers. So we're putting something out there that we were going to have our shit called out on. I'm going to be the first to call it out because what does that make us look like if I can't even call out what we are and what we've done? But lastly, and I'll let Beny speak to her experience, when BPLB version three dropped. That Hazy IPA was on point. Tropical notes of guava, stone fruit, pineapple. The aroma was bangin, the mouth feel was right on point, from aroma to mouth feel to finish, I mean, it was crushable, you know, and you could drink one hundred percent of the liquid, which we're very specific about. You know, there's a lot of beers where you turn that can over and you get a bunch of liquid that you're like a little sediment. Yeah. Oh, my God. You know, when I wanted to drink one hundred percent of this expensive liquid, you know, I don't want to dump the last five percent down the drain, but it's been a pretty cool journey. [00:32:26][108.2]
Beny: [00:32:28] For me, on the marketing side of it, it was more of the fact that we were in a whole other country for the first time together, I think it might have been the first time overseas period. And we were making beer and we were pouring beer. And it was our own beer that we were like four or five years into the company. And I made it a point to have all of our winter coats have Black People Love Beer on the back of them. So we have pictures of us in castles in Scotland and walking around London with Black People Love Beer. And I think for me that was the most important thing, is you felt our presence. You felt there was an ownership that we confidently kind of had as we walked around. And it's that same ownership. That we have now brought back to our home, I'm not sure if you're familiar, we recently launched an equity crowdfunding. [00:33:26][58.2]
Keith: [00:33:27] Let's talk about that because, you know, you raised some money. I know Brewdog invested in it, and now you put out this equity investment that anybody can come in and invest. Why did you feel like that was the best way to raise this next round? [00:33:39][12.0]
Beny: [00:33:39] We started this entire journey with the community. What better way than to build our brand than to invite and welcome the community to own equity and own a part of what they basically helped build? We wouldn't be anywhere without the support of our communities, our consumers, our OGFC's you know, original gangster founders crew is what we call them, who have shown us so much support consistently, so much love. There's been so many times where we felt like we were going to give up. And then we've run into someone who loves what we're doing and gives us a few words of encouragement and then it pushes us forward. So our most humbling way to be able to share what we're doing with the community is to let them own it, join our journey, own equity in Crowns and Hops Brewing company. [00:34:40][60.8]
Teo: [00:34:41] It is a bit, the offer is a bit of an invitation to come to the table with us. Something that wasn't offered to us. Yeah, and that's in any industry. I mean, and don't get me wrong, Any is a big statement. But I would say most of the brands that black brown people that enjoy the culture, black and brown people, they have never been given an opportunity to own the thing that they patronize. And for us, that is so important. I mean, if you think about it, I don't know what shoes you have on, but if you have a Nike or Adidas, think about it. This is like so by the way, we're going to allow you to participate. I mean, you can now, they're public. But but at the beginning. Yeah, man. I mean, like, we can't wait for five years down the line for the people that saw who we were, the people that gave us that pat on the back, that gave us that encouragement know damn well that Beny and I were busting our asses 24 hours around the clock, no sleep, freaking going broke damn near sometimes. I mean, those people understand and are the people that are investing, you know, we're almost at 700 investors right now. Those 700 people see it, they get it. And and hopefully we're making a big enough case to people who are just now seeing who we are to back. They could scroll down on our Instagram feed and understand how committed we are to this. And to be able to offer that is pretty great at OwnCrowns.com. [00:36:12][90.8]
Keith: [00:36:14] OK, I was going to say that again. Where can people invest? Where do they where should they go? [00:36:18][4.1]
Teo: [00:36:20] OwnCrowns.com? I don't know, maybe you should say it Beny, maybe to resonate more with people if you say it. [00:36:25][5.0]
Beny: [00:36:26] OwnCrowns.com simple. [00:36:29][3.6]
Teo: [00:36:31] Is that O W N C R O W N S? [00:36:32][0.8]
Beny: [00:36:35] Yes. It's O W N C R O W N S . Com. [00:36:39][4.0]
Teo: [00:36:41] So the word own is in crowns? [00:36:41][0.4]
Beny: [00:36:42] Yes its own crowns. Yes. Oh wow. [00:36:48][5.7]
Teo: [00:36:48] Yeah. That's pretty remarkable. hows that for marketing. [00:36:50][2.0]
Keith: [00:36:52] That's a good URL if you guys have time for one more question. Exactly. I wanted to get into the bona fides of, you know, your marketing background, especially Beny, Sonos, Beats by Dre, Arnold, McCan Worldwide. Yeah, those are some big brands. Right. When did you realize this was what needed your full time attention? When for both of you, I'd love to hear the story of when you went, OK, I've got to stop that and really focus on this. [00:37:18][25.9]
Beny: [00:37:18] I think for me, when it's well, I got older and realized, guess who, doesn't have as much time as she used to and or impatience, patience or energy for the bullshit. Right. And so it is OK. But, you know, those are really big brands. And I'm really blessed to have been able to do what I've done. And sometimes I feel like that was like a past life. When I look back and I used to produce TV commercials and now I co-own company like it's so crazy. But there was a moment where all of my happiness was in this. All of my energy and excitement was in Crowns and Hops and what we were building. And I no longer had love for working for anyone else, for helping someone else build out their businesses and help someone else make money. And my lineage, you know, my dad was a manager and founder of the Commodores, my mom had. She used to create programs for people of color. I think when I really understood the impact of what we were doing, it became more of a personal mission to keep pushing forward. And how do we make real change using all of these years that I've learned of marketing and advertising, creating and just helping other people? How do I help myself? How do I help Teo, you know, how do I help the community, which was not something I think I was allowed to do in any of my previous careers. If rewarding. It's fulfilling. It's life changing to you. [00:38:55][96.1]
Keith: [00:38:55] How about you? [00:38:55][0.2]
Teo: [00:38:56] Yeah, I was kind of a compilation. I kind of stumbled into my purpose in a certain way, you know, being primarily in entertainment packaging and home entertainment with Paramount and Miramax and Universal and then literally Netflix just. [00:39:10][14.4]
Keith: [00:39:11] Yeah, you're no slouch either, OK? [00:39:12][1.2]
Teo: [00:39:15] Oh my god, 2008 was a terrible year, bro. And trying to reinvent myself through other people's vision and purpose was just a losing battle, you know? You know, it's like, you know, you go to college and, you know, you obtain the experience that you do or that you have, you know, in your career, you know, ultimately to innovate and to unfold and to do better than what was before and not to just keep regurgitating what's already been done. And, you know, I was just I was lost, you know, I was not motivated at all. And I had a really good friend by the name of Kenny Mac that asked me what brought me joy and what brought me happiness and joy. And I didn't really have an answer for him. And it was in really kind of investigating this opportunity that Beny and I had uncovered that I didn't realize my purpose, you know, and I mean, should I quit my job immediately and started working as a seller person, you know, at a brewery and just trying to figure that shit out and trying to figure out what stuff was real, what was not, what was I making up? Because here's the thing. As a marketer or being in marketing and advertising, I think sometimes we forget which stuff is our own authentic thought and our own, you know, what is our gut telling us to do? Because we're so used to accommodating the client, we're so used to accommodating the creative director, the art director, all these things that sometimes you forget, like you forget your own dopeness, you know, you forget the that makes you the X Factor. And and I found it again. And it was funny that the last thing I say is I did a short stint in a cannabis industry as well. And I would say that was the straw that broke the camel's back when I realized that what I was doing in the space, I knew how to do extraordinarily well based off of what Beny and I have been doing with Dope and Dank and kind of starting out with building the brand Crowns and Hops. And I'll never forget, like being in a room with the person that was managing the social media at the time and looking at mistakes all over, oh my God, I'm like I'm like, have you thought about doing this? And at the time, I didn't really expose that. You know, I was a co-founder of a craft brewing company that started from social media that pretty much just told me to shut up and stay in my lane. And I was just like, oh, I was like I was like, OK. I was like, got it. Yeah, I'm like, got it. And that was the last. Part time, full time jobs that I ever had, you know, it was 100 percent me and Beny and Crowns and Hops from that point on. [00:41:51][156.1]
Keith: [00:41:52] Good for you, man. I love that. We'll end on this if it's OK. What is the what is the next year look like? It sounds like brick and mortar is coming. Inglewood, you're in SoFi Stadium. Is that correct? You got you got some cans there as well [00:42:03][11.1]
Beny: [00:42:05] We are. if you go to SoFi ask for Crowns and Hops. [00:42:06][1.6]
Keith: [00:42:07] OK, yeah. Yeah, definitely Chargers and Rams games. So yes, every single week. Seventeen games now eighteen or whatever. What is the next year look like for you. What are you most excited about. [00:42:16][8.9]
Teo: [00:42:17] Man, opening that brick and mortar room like hands down like to create home. To use everything that we've learned from producing beer, from selling beer to creating spaces that are not only safe from a cultural significance for people to feel safe to be themselves, but also to be safe throughout covid. Creating spaces, indoor outdoor that I mean, Beny just mentioned in fourteen thousand four hundred square feet, we have a lot of space and opportunity to make sure people feel comfortable. And, you know, to be honest, to complete this this raise, you know, I think, you know, we're about at the midway point, almost at about a half million dollars. We have a lot that we have planned for our company that just excited to see it come to fruition Bro. [00:42:59][42.4]
Beny: [00:43:00] and I will say the same thing. It is Crown's Inglewood, Crowns Inglewood, Crowns. And it's taken us a really long time to get here. But we could not be more ready to open our doors and finally have a place for our community to come together and celebrate with us. So we it's going to be good. It's going to be good. [00:43:19][19.7]
Teo: [00:43:20] And the one thing that I think a lot of people get it twisted sometimes, you know, we lead with Black Ownde, we lead with a beer. That's black people love beer, brown people love beer. We're living at a time to where this is one of the first times in the history of our country, the world, that we can actually lean into that for the first time. You know, we we've had our culture contribute to the most significant things on this planet to include building a damn country, you know, and rock and roll, jazz, activism. And this is a beautiful opportunity, not only for the people that have done that and accomplished that, but for the people that celebrated, enjoy it and give an opportunity for us to achieve something or for our people, for our community and ultimately for the entire country. You know, again, racial equity is a strategy for economic growth for all of us. And that's what we're accomplishing [00:44:15][54.4]
Keith: [00:44:16] Beny, Teo this has been so fun talking to you. I can't wait to visit and taste the beers fresh from the tap, fresh from the source. [00:44:23][7.1]
Teo: [00:44:24] I didn't get from you, bro. What's your favorite style of beer? [00:44:27][3.1]
Keith: [00:44:28] Yeah, yeah. Hazys as well. I was a big West Coast IPA guy early on. You know, the introduction for me was Sierra Nevada was probably the first real like... Yeah, yeah. Newcastle was probably the first beer that I had that wasn't like malt liquor or Budweiser. But then I bartended at this place in Chicago called Sheffield's, where we had over one hundred different beers. And the general manager there told me to try a different beer every night. And so that's that was really my indoctrination into trying new things. So I'm a very seasonal. Right. So it's starting to get well right now. It's really hot here in New York, but it's starting to get a little bit colder here. So I'll move in to the porters in the stouts for the fall in the winter. But the hazy IPAs are, for me, the the daily go to's. Those are the ones that I love the most. [00:45:13][45.3]
Teo: [00:45:14] I look look out for our stout Urban Anomaly. I like to think of it as the Guinness killer. [00:45:19][4.6]
Keith: [00:45:19] OK, that might have been one of the ones that I ordered. That was is that on Taproom? [00:45:23][3.4]
Teo: [00:45:24] It should be, yeah. [00:45:25][1.1]
Keith: [00:45:25] I ordered the HBCU and then whatever Stout was on Taproom [00:45:29][3.8]
Keith: [00:45:31] so. I should be getting that at some point. Now it's pouring rain here, so I don't know if it's coming. [00:45:34][2.8]
Beny: [00:45:34] He's like, I'm looking outside. Mailman? [00:45:35][1.2]
Keith: [00:45:36] Yeah, I wanted to show it that I want to be like I've got it right here. [00:45:39][2.8]
Teo: [00:45:40] But yeah. Let us know what you think about that stout bro. It was literally one of our first beers that we brewed. It was one of the first beers that poured at that festival in the UK and we're really proud of it. We believe that the return of the sessionable and crushable stout American stout is is here and we're excited to lead it. So so make sure and give it those Untappd ratings and. Yeah, let's take that market share back man. [00:46:08][28.3]
Keith: [00:46:09] Yeah I agree with that. I think you know the other thing with the hazes, again, I love them, but sometimes there's 10, 12 percent double triple hazes leave a mark on you the next morning especially. I turned 40 a couple weeks ago. They really leave a mark on you now. So I do love the four percent, five percent crucibles and how I think people are starting to pull it back a little bit in and kind of put some restraint into it where, you know, I'd say three to five years ago was how hoppy can we make this? Now it's OK. Let's pull it back a little bit and then enjoy it. So I'm excited to try that one. [00:46:39][30.3]
Teo: [00:46:41] you'll love HBCU, too, man. [00:46:41][0.4]
Keith: [00:46:42] Finally where can people get your products, we just wanted one last shout out before we say goodbye [00:46:46][3.8]
Teo: [00:46:47] crowns and hops dotcom. You can find in the California area there is a beer locator. You put your zip code in there, but if you want to get it, when you're out of state again. Crab Shack by the Crab Shack, Tobor, Taproom, you know, along with a few other online distributors as well. And again, don't forget to take advantage of that that opportunity. We got about 30 to 40 days left in this equity crowdfunding campaign. If you love the liquid, then rock with us, we're excited to invite you in as the OGFC. [00:47:18][31.2]
Keith: [00:47:20] Amazing. Thank you, Beny and Teo, co-founders of Crowns and Hops. Thank you so much. [00:47:20][0.0]
[2735.9]