Former pharmacist Brittney Mikell is making history as she transitions to a new career path. Experiencing burnout in her pharmacy role, Mikell decided to follow her passion for brewing.
She secured a position as an assistant brewer at La Dona Cerveceria in Minneapolis, MN.
“I didn’t feel like I was making the impact that I really wanted to in healthcare,” Mikell told Eater Twin Cities. “I woke up one day and realized that this could be a really cool place where I could make an impact. You only really live once, so I decided, let’s just pivot — why not?”
Mikell’s aspirations didn’t stop there. She aims to become the first Black woman to own a brewery in Minnesota, a significant milestone given that only 1% of U.S. breweries are Black-owned. In Minnesota, of the 200 breweries, few are owned by women or people of color.
“The brewing industry isn’t very diverse in our state and in general, as it stands,” Mikell noted.
Mikell plans to diversify the industry by educating others when she opens Bubble Line Brewing Company in Saint Paul, MN’s Rondo neighborhood, a predominantly Black area, in early 2025.
“I spend a lot of time at breweries and find that there are not very many Black people nor people of color there in general, and in leadership,” she said. “I really want to be able to bring more folks of color into brewing.”
To reach the community, Mikell will offer apprenticeships for people of color interested in brewing, pay employees a comfortable wage, and focus on environmental sustainability in the brewing process.
Currently, she is raising $500,000 through crowdfunding to support the business and has already secured $27,800 in funding.
“Everything’s lined up — we’re just looking at buildings and trying to make something happen,” she mentioned.
The brewery will feature craft beers, including a signature Honeycrisp apple blonde ale. The menu will also include non-alcoholic beverages such as lattes, mocktails, a ghost pepper lemonade, and THC beverages.
“We’re really focused on innovation — you have to make a d-mn good beer,” Mikell expressed.
