Craft Beer Careers job fair seeks to diversify Texas brewing industry

Images courtesy of Texas Craft Brewers Guild.

The state's first ever career fair focused exclusively on jobs in craft brewing is set to take place on Wednesday, January 26, at Hop & Sting Brewing Co. of Grapevine. Organized by the Texas Craft Brewers Guild, the event seeks to advance diversity and inclusion in the craft beer industry.

 "The last two years have been difficult on restaurants and breweries, and hiring continues to be a pain point,” says Samantha Glenn, co-founder of Funky Picnic Brewery & Café of Fort Worth and member of the job fair planning team. “This job fair allows breweries to get in front of candidates in order to plan for growth in their businesses and the brewing industry." 

Jobs at craft breweries go beyond brewing beer. These small, local businesses need diverse teams of professionals with a variety of backgrounds, skillsets, and interests to fill roles like general managers, office managers, accountants, marketing professionals, sales personnel, data analysts, hospitality and service, facilities managers, drivers, packaging technicians, and more.

“This job fair has a special significance for our organization,” says Meg Ellis, membership & business development manager for the Guild. "As a project of the Guild’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Subcommittee, we’re really striving to reach folks who may have felt like there wasn’t a place for them in our industry.” 

The craft brewing industry globally has struggled with social justice and gender equity issues over the past few years. The members of the Guild’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Subcommittee have a vision of a Texas craft beer industry in that is welcoming, reflects the diversity of the state’s population, and offers career pathways for any community member. 

“When we founded the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Subcommittee, one of our main focuses was to promote these values through education and awareness. Not only by words, but by actions,” says Sheila Garcia, co-chair of the subcommittee. “Our job fair planning team has cultivated an opportunity to connect breweries with job seekers in new segments within the community, who may have not been reached out to previously. The more diverse our employees are, the better our craft beer community becomes!”

The career fair features businesses and job opportunities from across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Participating sponsors from the region include: Armadillo Ale Works of Denton, Denton County Brewing Co. of Denton, Hop & Sting Brewing Co. of Grapevine, Funky Picnic Brewery & Café of Fort Worth, Siren Rock Brewing Co. of Rockwall and Texas Ale Project of Dallas.

Attendance is free for jobseekers, but space is limited and an RSVP is required. Visit the following link for event details and to register:  https://tickets.texascraftbrewersguild.org/e/craftbeercareersntx.

Jobseekers can also find and apply for careers in craft brewing any time at the Guild’s Texas Craft Brewing Industry Job Board: https://texascraftbrewersguild.org/jobs/.