Congratulations to Monique Grey of Momentum Cider for receiving the inaugural Beer Kulture Ladies of the Bevolution Creator Launchpad Grant! This $17,000 award, which is a collaboration between Beer Kulture, Ladies of the Bevolution and the Courageous Noise initiative, is for “ladies and non-binary entrepreneurs, brewers, or digital creators who determine as an underrepresented or underserved member of the craft beverage group together with, however not restricted to, Black, African American, Indigenous, Asian American, Pacific Islander, or different Particular person of Colour, who dream of launching a product commercially however want the required funding and steering to make it a actuality.”
Monique Grey of Momentum Cider
Grey, who lives in Lengthy Seaside, California, desires of getting her cidery off the bottom, and says that the grant will play a significant position in advancing her enterprise.
Although she is at the moment nonetheless within the house cidermaker hobbyist part, she notes that the Creator Launchpad Grant will go towards subsequent steps, like trademarking and growing a emblem.
“I’m simply going with the stream right here! I’ve a marketing strategy and I do know what must be carried out,” she says. “This grant is actually and figuratively serving to me get to the following stage.”
Grey’s cider story started within the pandemic, when she began making wine and cider with kits at house, only for enjoyable. Knowledgeable within the wellness business for 25 years, in addition to musician and mom, Grey was seeking to transition out of wellness and discover the following step in her profession. It wasn’t till she shared a few of her selfmade cider together with her music producer that she realized cider may be the reply.
“My producer was like, ‘Hey, that is actually good,’ and I spotted I may be onto one thing!” Grey remembers.
In 2021, Grey started to kick it into the following gear. She started doing extra analysis and “nerding out” on cider, and shortly joined Pink Boots Society’s LA Chapter, which was enormously useful for her.
“If it wasn’t for them, I most likely wouldn’t be the place I’m now,” she says. “The LA chapter was so welcome and welcoming, it was like I discovered my tribe.”
On the time, Grey was making cider underneath the identify Mo Betta Brews, and commenced pouring at native occasions and venues, like Pink Boots occasions and at Oak Park Brewing. She shared cider with household, pals and colleagues, inspired by their optimistic suggestions. At certainly one of these tastings, she met a gross sales consultant from BevMo! (a sequence of wine and liquor shops), who mentioned he’d purchase her cider if it was accessible for wholesale.
“When he advised me that I used to be like, okay that is it, I’ve to get these things constant, packaged and on the market,” Grey says.
Grey’s subsequent plans are to make a collaboration cider with Chelsea Rosetter, the founding father of LA-based Benny Boy Brewing, whom Grey calls a mentor, and to move to Chicago to make a beer at Undertaking Pilot Brewing in Chicago, which is one other element of her grant award.
Grey is passionate about what the Creator Launchpad Grant means, not just for her personal plans, however for the cider business at massive.
“The cider business is re-shaping itself so far as its range goes … I don’t actually have anyone to observe, and I understand that I could also be one the forerunners of serving to the cider business emerge,” she says. “However, for now, every part is transferring and grooving.”
Grey says that she plans to launch a business cider by the tip of 2023. Observe alongside on Instagram for updates, and to observe Grey progress on her journey as a cidermaker and entrepreneur!
