FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (6/1/2020)
Today we announce Epiphany Craft Malt’s plan to reckon with the history behind two of our malts by donating a portion of their sales to socially-conscious nonprofits. We want to be responsible stewards of the past and its people to support a forward-looking direction; the past informs the future and we want to provide an opportunity for a better one.
Two grains that we are working with, Carolina Gold Rice and a corn variety from the Chesapeake Bay area, are both interesting and regionally-significant grains with notable histories. Our partners who grow these crops, Tidewater Grain Co. and Pungo Creek Mills, have worked diligently to bring these rare varieties back from obscurity (which you can read more about on our blog!) We’re excited to be working with our friends to make malts showcasing these uncommon Southeastern grains.
However, the origins of these crops do have a darker side. Before the Civil War, Carolina Gold Rice was once an extremely lucrative crop because of slave labor. Slaves were brought to the Carolinas specifically to do backbreaking work in the rice fields, and often died early deaths due to disease, malnutrition and overwork. The heirloom corn can trace its roots back to the Native American tribes of Virginia, who taught early white settlers how to cultivate the ancestor to this variety — tribes that were later decimated and forced from their land. If we want to help create beers that incorporate these grains, it’s a history we should acknowledge by turning our attention towards building something on the understanding of injustice at its roots.
To recognize this, Epiphany is investing 12% of these malt sales to social justice nonprofits that help those whose ancestors were harmed by the cultivation of these grains.
For malt made with Carolina Gold Rice, a donation will be made to the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, a nonprofit based out of Durham, NC. The Southern Coalition partners with communities of color and economically disadvantaged communities to defend and advance their political, social and economic rights. The organization has a strong focus on voting rights and criminal justice. It has a reputation of doing meaningful work along the lines of legal representation, research and community organizing. You can find out more about this organization here: https://www.southerncoalition.org/
For malt made with Pungo Creek Mills’ corn, a donation will be made to the American Indian Science and Engineering Society based out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. It aligns Epiphany’s scientific approach to malting with AISES’ goal of increasing the representation of Native Americans in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields. AIMES works with 5,600 individual members, as well as 400 high schools and colleges, to develop mentorship programs, internships, college plans and scholarships. Chemistry, biology and technical knowledge are all necessary parts of malting and brewing, which is why helping people learn these skills is particularly important to us. Check out AISES’ website here: https://www.aises.org/
You can place orders now for malt made with Pungo Creek Mills Heirloom Corn and Carolina Gold Rice. To place an order, please email us at order@epiphanymalt.com or (919) 886-7306. Thank you for helping us with this mission.
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About Epiphany Malt: Epiphany partners with farmers and breweries to produce quality malts. In doing so, Epiphany fills the brewer’s need for transparent local production by enabling the connection between farmer, maltster and brewer. In the process, we support local agriculture, lower the impact on the planet, and keep jobs and money in the region. We are committed to establishing a resilient, sustainable and quality supply of domestically grown malt that is farmed, malted and brewed for exceptional flavor and character. https://www.epiphanymalt.com/
Contact: Sebastian Wolfrum, Owner & Maltster | 919-699-6733 | snw@epiphanymalt.com
