We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kristine Baker a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Kristine, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
Back around 2010 the Craft Beer scene was really starting to take off, and I caught the bug and wanted to explore all the breweries I could. There was definitely an uncomfortableness being the only female customer at times. Brewery owners would even ask me how they could bring in more women into their establishments.
I started to include other female friends to join me, and soon the meet-ups were more formal and educational in nature. In January 2013 the name Women’s Craft Beer Collective was what I decided we should be called.
Soon I noticed that beer merchandising was not inclusive to women, so I started to dabble with product and design, and to this day have a fun little online shop. You will see everything from women’s tank tops, hop earrings, hop necklaces, glassware, hop dishtowels, and we even now have a beer pint squeaker dog toy! It has been such an honor that it all has been so well received by the beer community.
Kristine, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
We are celebrating our 10 Year Anniversary this month (January 2023) and for all but the last year, I have also worked as a beer server for a local brewery. This was the perfect way to keep up with what was going on in the industry, trends in beer and merchandise, as well as increase my beer knowledge. There have been several training programs that I have been able to add to my resume, as well as being a member of the San Diego Chapter of the Pink Boots Society, an organization that provides education and scholarships to women entering the fermented beverages industry.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
To grow an organic following on any social media platform, I feel it has to be obvious that you love what you do. For the last ten years my growth has increased because I’ve been focused on one thing … or I know my lane so to speak. It has never swayed from a love of craft beer!
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
We have pivoted you could say from what our events used to look like, and what they now look like. Brewery tours turned into food pairing events, then into DIY classes etc. But that could be because of trends or where my head/heart was at. These days, my energy will be in organizing gatherings of men and women for community involvement. We volunteer at Feeding San Diego, and also participate in beach cleanups with I Love A Clean San Diego … always ending the day together with some local craft beer!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.Womenscraftbeercollective.com
- Instagram: Womensbeercollective
- Facebook: www.womenscraftbeercollective.com/Facebook
- Twitter: Womenscraftbeer
- Other: TikTok: Womensbeercollective