CELESTE BEATTY DIDN’T set out to be the first Black woman in the United States to own a brewery. It just happened that way. After years of homebrewing in her New York City apartment, Beatty founded Harlem Brewing Company in 2000. But while that represented progress, growing the brand hasn’t been easy. Since Harlem Brewing launched its first beer, Sugar Hill Golden Ale, competition in the U.S. craft beer industry has exploded, with the number of domestic breweries growing from around 1,500 to more than 9,000.
Beatty’s company remains a small operation, with distribution only in New York, Virginia, and North Carolina. Still, Anheuser-Busch saw enough value in the brand to make an acquisition offer in 2006, which Beatty declined. She currently has no plans to sell the business.
Indeed, when Beatty talks about scaling these days, she
