From A Garage to Raising Funds

According to a 2021 study from the Brewers Association, only around 0.4% of brewery owners in the United States identify as Black. To disrupt the game, long-life friends Rich Bloomfield, Greg Williams, and Zack Day started the Funkytown Brewery in their hometown of Chicago. It’s been three years since the trio began their journey in Day’s parents’ garage.

Their love for booze carried them through as they learned the art of crafting beer. The men took some intro classes on brewing and began experimenting until they were satisfied with their product. As they continued to learn they always kept the same goal in mind and that was to introduce craft beer to underserved communities and provide a deeper understanding of different beer styles, tasting notes, aromas, and colors.

Funkytown Brewery is influenced by the Chicago craft scene and 90’s Hip Hop and R&B.

Bloomfield said they focus on crafting beer that is low in bitterness for those beginner palets who have never tasted beer or who’ve had bad experiences with it. The crew is intentional about targeting women who aren’t usually the first thought when it comes to craft beers.

Day said a big part of introducing craft beer to new audiences is education.

“We want to understand why you don’t like craft beer,” said Day. “It’s about educating and making people feel a part of it.”

Day added that it’s about allowing people to let their guard down.

Funkytown Brewery is currently available in over 700 locations between Chicagoland, Wisconsin (Madison and Milwaukee), and northwest Indiana. They are in major grocery chains including Jewel-Osco, Binny’s, Whole Foods, Caputos, and Mariano’s. As the brand continues to grow, the men are ready to expand by manufacturing and distributing their craft beer in-house. To do this, the crew has started on the journey of raising capital.

Although the crew isn’t ready to announce their investment goals they have plans to have a retail location where they will provide hospitality, authenticity, and music. The space will also be used to expand distribution yet the biggest goal will be to increase their margins by starting to manufacture on their own again.

“It’s a journey. It’s a lot for us to learn to make sure we’re comfortable,” said Bloomfield.

Winning Samuel Adams’ Competition

The crew started by collectively putting together $1,400- $1,500 to purchase equipment and since then they’ve been accomplishing new heights. In 2023, Funkytown Brewery won the Samuel Adams’ 12th annual Brewer Experienceship craft brewers competition. The brewery received support from the Boston Beer Co.’s Samuel Adams brand and founder Jim Koch.  

The competition is a part of Samuel Adams’ Brewing the American Dream philanthropic program that provides mentorship and access to capital to entrepreneurs. 

Collaborating with Black Beer Baron

Earlier this year, Funkytown Brewery and Black Beer Baron, owned by Jay Westbrooke, partnered to create a new beer, “Who in the Helles Left the Gate Open” to not only promote inclusivity in the beer crafting industry but also raise money for their scholarship fund. Every dollar they make from the beer will go towards the scholarship.

Both Funkytown Brewery and Black Beer Baron have received scholarships to help them on their journeys. Day received a scholarship from the Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing and Distilling, an organization dedicated to supporting technical education and career advancement for Black, Indigenous, and people of color in the brewing and distilling industries. Black Beer Baron won the Illinois Diversity in Brewing Scholarship from the Siebel Technical Institute and Illinois Craft Brewers Guild, which aims to create a more inclusive and representative craft beer industry in Illinois by providing equitable access to education and technical training.

Together these two Black-owned beer businesses are giving back to their community.

To donate to the scholarship fund click here.