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Craft Distillery
Black Bourbon Society
By: Nan McCreary
I n an age when multiculturism is redefin- marketing for events, especially in the spirits indus-
ing America, it has become clear to many
try, were not necessarily catering to consumers of
in the alcohol industry that, while African
Americans are one of the leading consumers color,” Davis told Beverage Master Magazine.
of premium liquors, distillers are late to the party “I decided to create a group that represented a
when it comes to marketing to this demographic. diverse audience and shows the brands what a
And it costs them a sizable chunk of what research- diverse audience looked like. My idea was to pro-
ers, such as the Nielson Company, say is the $1.2 duce events for this audience in partnership with
trillion buying power of Black American consumers. the brands so both would benefit.”
One person who has observed this is entrepre- Today, after five short years, BBS has over 22,000
neur Samara Davis, who, in 2016, founded the members worldwide who share their love of bour-
Black Bourbon Society to bridge the gap between bon through social media platforms, brand-part-
the spirits industry and African American bourbon nered events and exclusive excursions to distill-
enthusiasts. eries.
“At the time, I was producing some events with For Davis, bourbon was the natural choice for
an agency in San Francisco and realized that a lot of a connection with the spirits trade. “That’s what
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