In Bustle's Quick Questions, we asked female leaders for all the advice—from the best mentoring they've ever received to the questions they're still figuring out. Here, Hannah Ferguson talks to Bustle about making history as Ohio's first black female professional winemaker, opening a cider house and brewery, and living without any regrets.
Just four years ago, Hannah Ferguson's curiosity about the beer-making process quickly turned into making history as she became Ohio's first black female professional brewer. Despite the odds — only 1% of brewery owners in the country are black and about 7.5% are women, according to the Brewers Association — she’s redefining craft beer in a new era of traditionally white, male-dominated craft beer. The role of Black leadership is to bring change and diversity to the beer industry.
While Ferguson is proud to be the first person to receive the title, she insists she won't be the last. She encourages other Black women interested in pursuing a career in the craft beer industry to contact local breweries to get started. "Even if there aren't a lot of women or a lot of people who look like you, if this is a field you want to get into, don't let it stop you," she tells Bustle.
Before opening an urban cider house and brewery—an extension of her inclusive lifestyle brand Dope (which focuses on positivity)—Ferguson tells Bustle how she unwinds (hint: it involves beer), the bad advice she’s heard, and How to relax. She overcame her fear of failure.
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What's on your to-do list these days?
HF: We are starting construction on my company, Dope Cider House and Winery, which will be opening in my hometown of Youngstown, Ohio. It will be located at a local brewery called Penguin City Brewing Company. We hope to start renovations soon. I'm launching a crowdfunding campaign to raise more cash flow to complete some final projects, and I'm also working on recipes for different ciders.
You have a lot to do. How do you shut down your brain?
HF: It’s hard to shut down my brain. Sometimes I even have trouble falling asleep. I'll have a high-alcohol beer, chat with friends or family, or take my dog for a walk. Or I just sit and play with her.
What was your biggest concern when you entered the cider and wine industry? Because you know there aren’t many people like you in this field?
HF: I'm afraid of failure - but if you don't really try, you don't know if you're going to fail. It almost feels like added pressure to be labeled as the first black woman in my state to become a professional brewer, launch a brewery business, and be successful. On the other hand, it's a challenge I'm willing to take on and I know it will motivate me to work even harder. Many people are afraid of failure, but you have to put that aside. I don’t want to live with any regrets and I don’t want to rule myself out before I even start.
I'm not just here to put on a face; I actually know what I'm doing.
What was the biggest challenge you faced early in your career as a winemaker?
HF: It’s surprising and catches people off guard when they find out you’re a woman, you’re a winemaker, and you’re black. I want people to know I bring something to the table. I'm not just here to put on a face; I actually know what I'm doing. I can do exactly what white people can do.
I hope that one day people will no longer be surprised when they see me, hear about me, or even when the next woman says they are a winemaker. I worked hard to prove that I belonged in this industry.
Have you ever received bad career advice? How was it before?
HF: My bachelor’s degree is in sports management. I always said I was going to be a sports agent. That was my first dream. And then someone told me, “Women can’t succeed in this field.” It really frustrated me to hear that. I let this discourage me from pursuing a different path after undergrad. If I had had the drive I have now, things might have been different and I might have made a different kind of history.
What has surprised you most about your journey as a winemaker?
HF: What surprises me the most is that when you look at the industry and all the craft breweries in America, there are still so few Black people in the industry. This isn't limited to just brewing beer, you can even own a brewery or grow grains to get the ingredients to make beer. We don't belong to any of them.
If you look at our history, we came from the fields, we did gardening, we did the work, and yet we're still failing in a multi-million dollar industry. Also, the fact that we still have number one. I’m really surprised that I’m the first and only black female winemaker in Ohio.
But this is a huge achievement. How do you feel about this?
HF: I don’t think I’ve really processed the exact emotions yet. Sometimes it's overwhelming, sometimes, it makes me nervous, but it also excites me and makes me proud. All these emotions are mixed together. But I take all the good thoughts and put them aside and leave the bad ones aside. I take it day by day. Four years ago I would never have imagined that I would be where I am today.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
