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Case Study: Mujeres

The women of San Diego’s Mujeres Brew Club elevated their beer-education group into a full-fledged coop brewery. Now, their goals to educate, empower, and employ women in beer are more valued than ever—and it’s a model that could work anywhere.

Beth Demmon May 5, 2022 - 14 min read

Case Study: Mujeres Primary Image

From left: Brenda Gómez, Esthela Davila, Carmen Favela, Sam Olson, and Sandra Lambarri

In Spanish, mujeres means “women.” And in the bustling Mujeres Brew House, next to coastal Interstate 5 and practically in the shadow of San Diego’s iconic Coronado Bridge, it’s women who are running the show.

Mujeres cofounder Carmen Favela says they employ about a dozen staff members, all of them female. Most identify as Hispanic, Latina, and/or Chicana; that also reflects the surrounding Barrio Logan community, where almost three-quarters of residents are of Hispanic descent. It’s a tight-knit neighborhood, Favela says, where residents have an unusual ability to band together and oppose threats such as gentrification or pollution from the nearby shipyard.

That’s why it was crucial for Mujeres to get—and now maintain—buy-in from its neighbors.

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Beth Demmon is an award-winning beer journalist and certified beer judge based in San Diego. Her work has appeared in Good Beer Hunting, CraftBeer.com, and VICE Munchies, among others.

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