Alisa Bowens-Mercado is the owner and brew-master of Rhythm Brewing Company in New Haven, Connecticut. She is the first Black beer brand owner, female or male, from her state. Alisa is also a professional Latin-American dancer and instructor, and for the past twenty years, has owned and operated her own dance studio, Alisa’s House of Salsa.
Huston Lett is the co-owner and head brewer of Bastet Brewing, one of the few Black-owned breweries in the state of Florida and the newest addition to Tampa Bay’s craft beer scene. Before starting his brewing journey, he was an aspiring artist and earned a college degree in graphic design and worked as a professional designer for over twenty years.
Jon Renthrope is the CEO and brewmaster of Cajun Fire Brewing Company in New Orleans, Louisiana. Established in 2011, Cajun Fire is the first Black-owned brewery in the American South. As a cultural ambassador, Jon is an integral part of the New Orleans small business community. He is working toward opening a new brewing facility and cultural hub in Eastern New Orleans, an area largely abandoned after Hurricane Katrina.
