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American homebrew association benefits12/9/2023 ![]() In short: choosing to work in craft beer means choosing a career path that’s fun, but less often lucrative and not always accommodating to kids. (Danielle Lawson)īut as housing and child care costs continue to rise, wages in production and service have flatlined, if not dropped outright. In 2018, writer Jeff Alworth held a survey that showed about half of responding industry professionals made between $30,000 and $50,000 per year.ĭanii Oliver says her two children are essentially her coworkers. They also estimate the average salaries for brewery employees of any level to be between $36,000 and $70,000 annually. However, when it comes to working at a brewery, it’s not always a question of choice.Īccording to the Brewers Association, publishers of, the American craft beer industry employs over half a million people, with 150,000 of those jobs attributed directly to breweries and brewpubs. In recent years, there has been heated discussion in beer media and among beer lovers about whether children should be allowed in brewery taprooms in the first place. But the layer of context that alcohol adds makes parenting in-and-around beer contentious. The “gig economy,” a collection of part-time or temp work, has blossomed in the United States, thanks in large part to circumstances related to having a family. This isn’t relegated simply to the beer industry. The Astronomical Cost of Child Care in America This has contributed to a cultural redefinition of the modern role of breweries, how the industry views employees with children, and the challenges and stigma parents endure when working in beer. Child care costs, lack of parental benefits, and other obstacles mean employees working in the estimated 7,500 breweries across the United States face the potential of their children existing in alcohol-centric spaces. “There is no support.”Īs Oliver, 34, and her generation have children-albeit later and at a lower rate than generations past-more beer professionals are increasingly finding themselves in similar situations as Oliver. “I received advice to take time off, but how would I feed myself?” she says with a sigh. On top of that, the manager handling day-to-day operations for Oliver left the company, which forced her to choose between caring for herself and caring for her brewery. Profit margins at small breweries are notoriously tight, and while states like New York do offer paid family leave insurance plans for self-employed workers, there are financial costs and waiting period restrictions that can make it difficult to take advantage of the limited state assistance. It wasn’t that she wanted to work until her water broke. “I think I brewed five beers in one week while in labor.” ![]() “When I was in labor, I was brewing beer,” she says. She laughs at the thought of having the option to take paid leave while recovering from pregnancy and birth, or even unpaid leave. They are places where people come together.” Like many parents who are also small business owners, Oliver’s life isn’t neatly separated into “work” and “family,” which means her kids are beside her every step of the way. She’s the owner and brewer at Brooklyn’s Island to Island Brewery as well as a homeschooling mother of two. ![]() No two days are the same for Danii Oliver.
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