We were lucky to catch up with LaTreace Harris recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, LaTreace thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I’ve been a long time lover of beer. I remember being a child and being extremely intrigued by this ice cold, golden liquid that was completely off limits for me because it was “Dad’s drink”. In college and graduate school my selection was limited to what could be found at my nearest house party. But in the mid-2000s, my exploration of beer led me down an unchartered that was vast beyond my wildest dreams. These days, beer is so diverse, and I found that over time, my excitement and curiosity about it only grew. From visiting my local breweries in Atlanta, GA (in the days when a flat rate of $10 was charged in exchange for beer “tickets” for either 4 or 6 half pints), to volunteeering beer festivals, I was fully in. One of the most striking things about my beer journey was that I generally met 3 kinds of people: those that just drank whatever was available and stuck with what they knew, those that were complete afficianados and knew all there was to know about every style, brewing process and malt profile, and those that were in the middle, curious about learning more. One of the main sources of information was often the brewery beertender staff. I quickly saw that the level of knowledge possessed by the taproom staff was key beer exploration. For those that knew quite a bit, their customers were engaged, often asking questions and trying things outside of their comfort zone. For those who knew little, their customers were left confused, indecisive, and often just “grabbing what their friend was having”. I often found myself, while sitting a beer bars or breweries, filling in the gaps for customers with questions. I loved engaging others about beer. The excitement wasn’t going away.

I quickly submersed myself in beer. Tried everything I could and soaked in every piece of information that I could about style differentiation, brewing processes, and trends. I loved talking beer, often getting into really interesting conversations with people that I would never otherwise encounter over the simple question of “what is that you’re drinking”. I saw beer conversations bridge racial, sexual and socioeconomic gaps. Beer, was universal in someway.

Fast Forward to the COVID-19 pandemic and the beer industry, like many others, was hit hard. Reduced to the exclusive sale of “to-go” beers, many breweries struggled to recruit beertenders and taproom staff that were comfortable coming back to work, let alone those with up to date beer acumen. I saw many try to determine how they would train their staff and invest in their growth, while simultaneously having to determine how they would pay health insurance, sick leave for “COVID-19 exposures” and other expenses. Having many friends in the industry, I would hear them talk about how much they wanted to train their staff to make sure that they could answer questions about beer and promote it in the way that was informative and approachable. I saw many try to figure out ‘how to we welcome patrons back into the taproom with usable information about beer, after they have been on their own for the last 18 months”.

I always knew that I wanted to something in beer. I had a lot of information about the craft in my mind and was always excitedly learning more. But I am also a teacher at heart, after spending 15 years as a in-home math and science tutor as a “side hustle” to my full time job. I’ve worked with students of all types, including those with learning disabilities and executive functioning issues. I know how to convey information, how to make it stick, and how to make it resonate. My passion for making sure that no one has a bad beed experience, and never feels intimidated by the plethora of choices now available pushed me to start my own brand to ensure that anyone serving beer, whether that be in a brewery, brewpub, bar, or restaurant would have an affordable, efficient option for the beer training of their staff. While I knew that I wouldn’t be the first person offering training options to breweries, but my hands, customizable approach was the cornerstone of my business. I wanted to work with them to ensure that everyone in the front of the house could accurately represent their beer, interface with diverse customers in a way that promotes inclusivity, and help them retain current customers while also earning new ones.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I started my business in January 2022. For years I was beer adjacent, not just as a consumer, but having several opportunities to home-brew, shadow brewers on their brew days, and learning a tremendous amount about beer keeping an serving practices, off flavors, styles, and brewing techniques. I judged home brew competitions, malt competitions- any opportunity to test my own beer knowledge I was completely hungry for it.

I always knew that I wanted to something in beer. I had a lot of information about the craft in my mind and was always excitedly learning more. But I am also a teacher at heart, after spending 15 years as a in-home math and science tutor as a “side hustle” to my full time job. I’ve worked with students of all types, including those with learning disabilities and executive functioning issues. I know how to convey information, how to make it stick, and how to make it resonate. My passion for making sure that no one has a bad beed experience, and never feels intimidated by the plethora of choices now available pushed me to start my own brand to ensure that anyone serving beer, whether that be in a brewery, brewpub, bar, or restaurant would have an affordable, efficient option for the beer training of their staff. While I knew that I wouldn’t be the first person offering training options to breweries, but my hands, customizable approach was the cornerstone of my business. I wanted to work with them to ensure that everyone in the front of the house could accurately represent their beer, interface with diverse customers in a way that promotes inclusivity, and help them retain current customers while also earning new ones.

While my initial focus has been on beer staff education, I am also planning several public events focused on the basics of beer styles and brewing, including those that help the public decide how to pick a beer based on its description/tasting notes, and how to expand one’s palette.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source of clients for me has consistently been networking through casual conversations at breweries and beer festivals. I find that there is a very high level of interest in been education for brewery staff and the public, but they is key is actually conveying what I do and how I can help, I have also drummed interest from participating in and interfacing with the brewers guild.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I really feel that testimonials from current clients, as well as building more of a social media presence has helped to increase my reputation in the market. I have started a “Beer Fact Friday” segment that has the purpose of spreading simple facts about beer that have increased my reputation as a beer educator. I’ve also done several public events discussing beer education, which increases my reputation as an educator. Essentially, the proof is in the pudding, and doing more helps to increase reputation overall.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: thebeerygodmother

Image Credits
Progressive Images Photography (Only professional photo holding the beer)