At age 43, Jen is nostalgic over these fond memories which in turn has driven her curiosity and appreciation for beer as she dreams of turning it into her professional calling.
“Beer has a nostalgic place because of the memories with my father. I later grew an appreciation for the flavors, the culture and the craft during my college years in Boulder, Colorado while interning during the summer months.”
As Jen continued her formal career based on her studies in transportation planning, she focused her free time on her love and fascination of beer. First she created a beer blog with topics such as “30 beers in 30 days” to further educate herself on the world of craft beer. As her passion evolved, Jen created beer events and classes which to her surprise attracted a minority demographic that LOVED beer. “When I first started, I really thought my events would attract regular old beer folks which would mostly consist of white men. Through the evolution of my events, I realized how many women, especially of color, were excited to learn about craft beer and that it was an untapped market place”.
As a result of her classes, blog posts and events, Jen created her first book, “Chick’s Guide to Beer” in 2017 and was driven to create as many resources for enthusiasts to enjoy the world of craft beer. With momentum building, Jen is now biting the bullet and raising money to create her ultimate dream, the Atlanta Beer Boutique. As thirsty patrons arrive, they will have a beer lover’s choice of unique and tasty beverages in the retail section as a well-appointed tasting room to relax, learn and share craft beverages with friends. “My ideal customer will be someone slightly intimidated by the beer experience but knowing that they came to the right place to build their knowledge and a specific tasting profile just for them”, states Jen.
While the vision and infrastructure is in place, Jen is raising capital to execute and build the Atlanta Beer Boutique and looking for funders equally as passionate for what this destination can bring to the community.
As part of the first EnrichHER pitch competition, Jen described the experience as a complete step outside of her comfort zone. Surrounded by other women founders, she realized that she was one of many in the room feeling the “imposter syndrome” while creating a new business. “Seeing other women pitch and tell their stories validated my own feelings but gave me the empowerment to push myself out of my fear based mindset”.
We at EnrichHER continue to thrive on stories like Jen’s so that we can continue to create an empowered community of fascinating women who continue to strive past their comfort zone. We look forward to our first tasting experience at the Atlanta Beer Boutique!
