On April 23, the two independent companies announced they’ve partnered to launch Circle of Crowns Beverage Group, an alliance aimed to transform and diversify the craft beverage industry, according to Black Business. The owners shared the news via Instagram posting a picture accompanied by a caption filled with gratitude.

“BIG MOVES ALERT🚨 💀 👑 Introducing the Circle of Crowns Beverage Group @ccbeveragegroup . This groundbreaking alliance between @fullcirclebrewingco @crownsandhops @speakeasybeer & @sonomacider makes us the nation’s largest black-owned beverage group. Cheers to growth and shattering (beer)glass ceilings!” part of the post read.

Full Circle Brewing Co., based in Fresno, is the largest Black-owned production brewery in the nation. Ingelwood’s Crowns & Hops Brewing Co.’s advocation for more inclusion of people of color in the craft beer field caught the attention of many and forged great relationships with brands.

“This strategic alliance leverages the strength of our infrastructures and distributor networks to bring our unique brands to retail shelves around the world,” Arthur Moye, CEO and founder of Full Circle Brewing Co., told Black Business. “Together we are better positioned to maximize growth and bring more consumers craft beverages with an aspirational, relevant connection to Black culture.”

In this collaboration, the two leading businesses are intertwining their strengths to operate even more effective processes for the “production, sales, and marketing” of their original drinks per Full of Circle Brewing Co.’s website. The merger also makes it easier to get the resources needed to distribute their products globally while helping other Black people interested in brewing thrive in the industry.

“We can each apply our No Big Deal skills, those areas where we naturally excel based on our previous knowledge and experiences,” Teo Hunter, Crowns & Hops Co-Founder, COO, and head of brewing operations, explained to Black Business. “Arthur at Full Circle is amazing with production, scaling, and the financial side of the business, while Beny and I are experts in branding, marketing, community, and partnerships.”

According to Brewbound, this business venture has been years in the making since Hunter initiated the conversations with Moye in 2021 because the Crowns & Hops team believed the partnership was an easy decision because they share joint goals.

“Crowns & Hops and Full Circle share the same visions, values, and strategies,” Beny Ashburn, Crowns & Hops CEO and co-founder, shared with Black Business. “Our collective mission extends beyond production, marketing, and sales; we aim to be a supportive resource for other Black-owned craft beer brands, fostering community and growth within the industry.”

For up-and-coming Black brewers, CCBG’s alliance is an innovative power move that will be a major key in removing obstacles many Black leaders face when trying to obtain production facilities, distribution networks, and retail partnerships to grow their businesses.

“Being able to lean into all of those different facets of who our brands are truly speaks to the scope that we are even in the Black community,” Hunter said in an interview with Brewbound. “A lot of people expect us to be this one monolithic concept or idea, but we’re not. We’re a scope and being able to approach this in the largest craft beer state in the country, and still being able to accommodate that sense of supporting local, supporting BIPOC and supporting many of our special classes.”

“We have literally tripled down on Black-owned. We are woman-owned, we are veteran-owned,” he added. “That really speaks to us making it as simple as possible to do what the world is saying that they want to do, which is to support Black-owned. We are literally providing the platform to allow people to actually take action if in fact that is what they’d like to do.”