Crowns & Hops and Kevin York Communications announce 8 Trill Fund Scholarship for Beer Amplified marketing conference

Crowns & Hops Brewing Co., the celebrated Black-owned brewery in Inglewood, Calif., with a mission to advance racial equity in the craft beer space, and Kevin York Communications, the leading PR agency focused on craft beer and organizers of the Beer Amplified marketing conference for breweries, have partnered to offer the 8 Trill Fund Scholarship to Beer Amplified.

Kevin York Communications (KYC) shares with Crowns & Hops the belief that the beer industry needs to become more diverse and equitable for all involved — consumers, owners, brewery staff, vendors, distributors and retailers.

In an effort to directly support that vision, KYC partnered with the Crowns & Hops non profit organization, 8 Trill Initiative, to become an “Eight Trillion Ally Contributor” and award scholarships to a select number of Black brewery owners to receive funding for registration and lodging to attend Beer Amplified. The scholarship and attendance at the conference will connect Black-owned breweries with global marketing leaders, helping to provide marketing development and growth that can be applied to their breweries.

“There is very little conversation or resources around foundational support, brand development, strategy and growth for Black-owned businesses,” stated Beny Ashburn, CEO and cofounder, Crowns & Hops Brewing Co. “Financial support is only step one. Those additional pillars are key to creating a sustainable business along with building and maintaining a racially equitable society.”

The Beer Amplified conference will take place March 27-28, 2023, in Boston, MA. In contrast to most marketing-focused professional development that has been offered to breweries in the past, Beer Amplified will focus on marketing leaders from outside the beer industry sharing strategies, success stories, insights and learnings with brewery attendees. 

Adam Grossman, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of the Boston Red Sox, will deliver the keynote, complemented by sessions highlighting marketing initiatives implemented at leading companies from industries such as sneakers, restaurants, music, consumer goods, consumer tech, wine and spirits.

Additionally, attendees will have the opportunity to share experiences and insights with each other at peer-to-peer roundtables where brewery marketers from like-sized breweries in different parts of the country will be grouped.

Black brewery owners are invited to apply for the 8 Trill Fund Scholarship to Beer Amplified at 8trillion.org/beer-amplified by February 24.