WASHINGTON — Eamoni Collier first started experimenting with home brewing in her uncle's backyard. Using a mix of herbs, spices and fruits she knew she wanted to create something different.
Collier officially launched 'Urban Garden Brewing' in 2022. Since then, her beers have been featured in at least 40 bars, restaurants and specialty liquor stores throughout D.C.
"We've released six beers to date and have landed in some of the hottest spots like Metro Bar," said Collier.
Her signature beer is Camolite, a mix of smooth honey and chamomile flavors. Described by Collier as the perfect 'anytime beer.' As a self-distributor, keeping up with the demand can be difficult. On top of that, another challenge is breaking into an industry where most of her peers don't look like her.
"You can be in a conference full of male brewers and feel like oh my god, do I belong here?" said Collier.
The craft beer industry is a billion dollar business. But according to a recent Brewers Association survey, only about 2% of breweries in the entire country are fully owned by women. Meanwhile, less than 1% are Black-owned.
"Hopefully this is going to be a moment that opens doors for more," said Collier.
Urban Garden is getting ready to sign a lease for a physical location in Fort Totten. A community fundraiser is up and running to help the small team get over the hump of the initial legal and permitting costs.
"It's going to be art, meets craft beer, meet luxury. It will be really intimate and I think it's something D.C. has not seen before," said Collier.
Collier tells WUSA9 she hopes her 70's style brew pub will not just change what the industry looks like, but change who's drinking the beer too.
"I think we're going to open the door for a lot of new beer drinkers. You'll see a lot more ladies, Black women, sipping beer at the bar," she said.
Here are the black-owned beer brands to check out in the DMV:
Black Brew Movement:
The Black Brew Movement is an organization that was created to connect Black-American culture with craft beer. The group created a map with all the DMV black-owned craft beer brands.