GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A new beer collaboration is highlighting Hispanic and Latino brewers and giving back to the community in Michigan.
City Built Brewing, which is based in Grand Rapids, partnered with Detroit-based Batch Brewing Company to debut "Mi Gente," a movement that aims to uplift Hispanic and Latino brewers across the nation by collaborating on special beers.
Mi Gente means "my people" in Spanish. The movement was started by City Built CEO Edwin Collazo.
"I carry immense pride in the fact that I am Puerto Rican, not just because I’m Puerto Rican, but because of the stories that came before me – the idea that people left a small island to come to a place where they had no connections, had no safety net, had only the idea of creating better," Collazo said. "That lives on in me and other Latino and Hispanic brewers, business owners, and creators in our industry."
There will be future partnerships announced as part of the Mi Gente movement. Other breweries are also encouraged to use the Mi Gente recipes and labels to expand the movement to other areas.
A portion of the proceeds from these beers will go toward supporting Hispanic and Latino communities. Batch Brewing has selected the Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation to benefit from their collaboration, and City Built Brewing has selected Somos Comunidad.
“It’s been immensely rewarding to work on this project and see it come to fruition. I’m humbled to be a part of an initiative that represents a growing minority in the brewing industry, all while highlighting the expansive culture of the Hispanic brewer,” said Eric Plata, production manager with Batch Brewing.
The beers will be debuted at both City Built and Batch Brewing taprooms beginning on Oct. 27. They will also be offered as part of the Michigan Brewers Guild 14th Annual Detroit Fall Beer Festival on Oct. 28.
Learn more here.
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