Applications are now open for the pilot programme of Women In Beer Mentorship!
A year-long programme
The Scottish “women who beer” community, formerly known as Beers Without Beards, has announced the launch of this important programme, which is planned to last an entire year.
It will offer UK based women who are either starting a career or a project within the beer industry to find support and help from one of the Women in Beer’s mentors. With a target of 24 mentees for the first year, the programme hopes to fund a minimum of 72 online mentorship sessions.
Talented women have joined the Women in Beer team of mentors, covering skills and networks from all sectors of the industry:
Jenn Merrick (Brewery manager at Big Smoke), Jaega Wise (Head Brewer at Wild Cards Brewery), Annabel Smith (Beer Sommelier and Head of Training at Cask Marque), Rachel Auty (Head of Marketing at Brew York and Director at Women On Tap CIC), Charlotte Cook (Head Brewer at Coalition and Beer Writer), Kate Hyde (Head Brewer at Hand Brew Co.), Robyn Bell (Cellar manager at Cloudwater Brew Co.), Natalya Watson (Beer Sommelier and Advanced Cicerone®, Founder of Virtual Beer School, podcast host and author), Jules Gray (Owner of Hop Hideout beer shop, founder of Indie Beer Feast, beer writer and judge), Emma Inch (Multi-award-winning freelance writer and audio-maker. Outgoing Chair of the British Guild of Beer Writers), Anna Warneke (Commissioning brewer and project manager at SSV), Daisy Turnell (Marketing and Social media Freelancer), and Edina Balint (Quality manager at Vocation Brew).
Regarding the mentorship programme, Jenn Merrick, one of Women in Beer’s Mentors, said: “I am always keen to help women and queer people to consider brewing as a career, and WiB’s educational seminars, talks and mentoring sessions help to lay the groundwork by encouraging people, answering questions and providing support.”
Amelie Tassin Founder of Women in Beer and the Mentorship Programme added:
“In an industry where only 30% workers are women (source 2023 SIBA Members’ Survey), programmes like this can help women build precious connections and find support when they can often feel isolated.”
Open to all those who identify as women the applications are to be made on Women in Beer website https://www.womeninbeer.co.uk/mentorship. The first mentorship sessions for the successful applicants will start in September 2023.
A precious support from the industry
The Mentorship scheme has already received precious support from the industry, allowing it to cover the costs for the first six months of the programme.
Richard Simpson, Vice Chair of Simpsons Malt Ltd and WiB Mentorship Sponsor, said: “After seeing the success of the Women In Beer Festival as a sponsor, we’re delighted to be able to take our support a step further by backing the launch of the Women In Beer mentorship programme, allowing women seeking to forge a career in brewing the opportunity to network with and seek advice from fellow women with years of industry experience.”
Colin Johnston, Sales & Marketing Director at Crisp Malt and WiB Mentorship Sponsor, added:
“We at Crisp Malt are massively proud to be supporting this mentorship programme to support women in or entering the brewing industry. We supply a fantastic sector, but it is still a very male-dominated place. As an industry, we’ve come a long way in showing that there should be no barriers to those who consume beer and access beer-related spaces, so the same should be true for the people who make it. I’ve personally seen the power of mentorship in my career, as a place to learn and grow. I very much hope that the inaugural cohort of mentees get those same benefits to create and drive their brewing businesses forward.”
For everyone who would like to show their support, a Patreon has also been opened with tiers starting as little as £4.5 per month https://patreon.com/WomenInBeerProjects.
An assessment of the first WiB mentorship programme will be presented at the next Women in Beer Festival (WIB Fest) in October 2024.
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https://drive.google.com/
Contact: Amelie Tassin, amelie@tipplemarketing.com
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