Beny Ashburn and Teo Hunter
Cofounders, Crowns & Hops Brewing • Inglewood, CA
A Deeper Purpose via Beer
Beer needs to be more than just a liquid in a glass, and at Crowns & Hops, Beny Ashburn and Teo Hunter have been working to create community and awareness through content, events and products that bring together the culture of craft beer and communities of color. With a taproom soon to open in Inglewood, the cofounders of the brand will have a permanent home for their nonprofit, The 8 Trill Pils Initiative, that has already directed more than $100,000 to Black entrepreneurs in and around the craft beer industry.
“I don’t see Crowns & Hops as a job, it’s a calling,” says Hunter. “I now have the opportunity to work in my core strength, which is advocating for change, connecting with my community and sharing world-class beer with those who never had access to it.”
Katie Melchior
Founder, The French Wine Tutor • New York, NY
The Francophile Influencer
Known as the French Wine Tutor to her followers on social media, Katie Melchior has been a lifelong Francophile. Based in Jersey City, Melchior majored in French in college and has lived in France three times. Her passion for the language sparked an interest in the country’s diverse wines, and the rest is history.
Melchior’s desire to make French wine more approachable and accessible shines through her social media and detailed blog. Both wine and food are political to Melchior, and she doesn’t shy away from her beliefs on social media. Through her social presence Melchior is dedicated to amplifying Black voices in the French wine space.
John Michael “JM” Morcilio
Content Creator and Founder, Urban Wine Tribe TV • Jersey City, NJ
Corner Store Wine Connoisseur
John Michael Morcilio, better known as JM, put in his time on the floor as a longtime server at a local restaurant, and eventually he’d heard enough unimaginative pitches from salespeople bringing wines for consideration for the list and lackluster pre-shift by-the-glass rundowns that he knew he could do better. He started writing. The notebook where he wrote from the heart about wines based on his years of experience pouring and drinking them became the seeds of Urban Wine Tribe, a multimedia assault on the stuffy conventions of wine that has taken the form of a YouTube talk show, short videos, comics and writing with the singular goal of making wine more accessible and entertaining.
Julia Jackson
Founder, Grounded • San Francisco, CA
Seeking Solutions
Julia Jackson founded the action organization Grounded Summit and Foundation in 2018, its mission grounded in solutions. Julia has dedicated herself to helping find ways to make the planet more livable, focusing on not just conservation, but regeneration. She is also a cofounder of the Keystone Species Alliance and the chair of U.S. Allies to Stop Ecocide. Additionally, Julia has recently been appointed by Governor Newsom to the California Department of Food and Agriculture board, where she can advocate for climate solutions in these sectors.
