Chicago-based Pilot Project’s goal is to provide women- and BIPOC-led companies with the kind of investment, production, and marketing opportunities they have long been excluded from in business. Pilot Project has worked to diversify beverage alcohol in the past three years by helping launch and nurture a dozen new brands.
As part of the Diversity in Beer Writing Grant series, Amber Gibson wrote a story profiling the people and companies who’ve benefited from this partnership and how Pilot Project works to support diversity and inclusion in alcohol.
About Amber Gibson: Amber Gibson specializes in covering travel, food, drink and wellness. Her work has appeared in Conde Nast Traveler, Robb Report, Travel + Leisure, Saveur, Chicago Tribune, Toronto Star and more. Follow her adventures on Instagram @amberyv.
See the work of previous grant recipients:
- Holly Regan (2021): The Still Point of the Turning World: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
- Ashley Rodriguez (2021): The Complexity of Mexican Lagers and Latinx People in the Brewing Industry
- Jonathan Andrade (2021): SoCal Cerveceros, America’s Largest Latino-Based Homebrew Club, Is Making Its Mark
- Jen Blair (2021): A Seat at the Table: Vegan, Vegetarian Food Offer Breweries Gateway to New Customers
- Stephanie Grant (2020): Creating Safe Spaces for Women in the Beer Industry
- Alessandra Bergamin (2020): A Cross-Border Brew Fosters the Next Generation of Latina Brewers
- Louis Livingston-Garcia (2020): Brewing Change Collaborative Tackles Diversity in the Twin Cities Beer Community
- Beth Demmon (2019): Craft, Community, and Children: The State of Parenting in the American Beer Industry
- Adriana Fraser (2019) Celebrating Women in Beer at 2019 Beer With(out) Beards Festival
- Rebecca Johnson (2018): Pride, Not Prejudice: Brewing Safe Spaces for the LGBTQ+ Community
