Community Highlights: Meet Demetra Harris, Brandi Neloms, and Julian Harris of Sipping Black Only

Today we’d like to introduce you to Demetra Harris, Brandi Neloms, and Julian Harris.

Hello Demetra Harris, Brandi Neloms, and Julian Harris. We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today. Can you start by introducing yourself?
We have supported Black-owned businesses on purpose for as long as we’ve been making our own purchasing decisions. From our service providers to the restaurants we frequent, it’s important to us that we invest in Black business owners. Alcohol consumption rose among adults 30 and older by 14% during the pandemic. Whether happy or sad, whether in groups or on the couch solo – many of life’s moments involve alcoholic beverages. That certainly held in the early days of the pandemic as we each drank independently and held wine nights with friends to cope.

One night, with a glass of wine in hand, Demetra wondered aloud whether we could try any Black-owned wines. The answer to their question was a resounding “yes,” as we learned that hundreds of Black-owned wine brands exist. With a bit more research, we’ve learned that that holds across most categories of beverages. Brandi swapped the coffee she drank daily with a Black-owned brand, and Julian did the same with his drink of choice, whiskey. Almost immediately, we combined our passion for all things Black entrepreneurship with our newfound love of Black-owned beverages. We began compiling a list of brands to try and share new favorite brands with friends and family.

We (Julian and Demetra [husband and wife] and their friend Brandi who was living across the country in Seattle at the time) felt our newly acquired motivation to purchase Black-owned beverage brands quickly evolve into a responsibility – a charge even to do what we could to let the world know about these wonderful brands. So we got to work, and in under two years have cultivated a community of more than 7,000 Black-owned beverage enthusiasts who discover, promote, celebrate, and intentionally purchase Black beverage brands.

You wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
Nothing worth doing comes easily, right? COVID caused issues for a lot of small businesses. Events are key to getting these beverages in people’s hands, but navigating peaks and waves of infections was challenging. The brand owners we partner with often need help maintaining inventory, shipping delays, and supply chain clogs – all exacerbated by COVID. And as with most businesses and initiatives geared toward uplifting underrepresented and underinvested communities, we got some pushback from non-Black people who felt excluded from our mission. We quickly educated them that “by and buy Black” doesn’t mean “only for Black.” These brands need and deserve their support, too! But while there have been bumps, the community; the brand owners; and the impact we’re making is worth it. The conversations we have with the beverage brand owners are inspiring, and they are always very supportive of our work to increase visibility for them.

We’ve been impressed with Sipping Black Only, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share about what you do and what sets you apart?
We are a community of Black-owned beverage enthusiasts committed to intentionally elevating Blackness, one cork, one pour, and one sip at a time. We recognize a huge disparity between Black founders and business owners in the beverage industry.

The food and beverage industry is a $506B market expected to hit $857B by 2025. However, the number of Black-owned brands tapping into significant revenue flowing through this industry is nominal. Not because they don’t exist but because many consumers don’t know about them. Our community can change that.

We host the #SipBlack Experience to increase awareness of these brands and allow people to taste and enjoy them. The vibes are second to none; attendees always leave excited to purchase what they tried. Sipping Black Only was formed to celebrate, promote, and unite a community around Black-owned beverages and their founders.

Our community is for everyone, no matter your race – it takes broad support to accomplish our goals – we are an inclusive community that exclusively supports Black-owned beverages. That includes beverages across all categories, including water, tea, coffee, juice, soda, beer, wine, spirits, and more.

Over the last 18 months, we’ve seen significant growth in our community, reach, and presence. We’re proud of that. We feel great joy when our community members send us photos of their purchased beverages and brag about how they’ve stocked up on Black-owned beverages. We are happy to be a resource for people seeking to support Black-owned businesses.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
The food and beverage industry is a $506B market expected to hit $857B by 2025. That’s 70% growth over the next 3 years. Black entrepreneurs must have equitable access to that growth. Beverages that fall into the consumer packaged goods sector are a huge part. Many mainstream industry leaders have launched initiatives to invest in and promote Black-owned brands, especially in the wine and spirits business. That’s great. However, it will take both a top-down and a bottom-up approach. So Sipping Black Only is here to push from the bottom up and organize at a grassroots level. When we meet in the middle, we expect Black-owned beverage brands will be more profitable, own more shelf space, and obtain the commercial success they deserve. And Sipping Black Only will be a big part of that, from the community we organize and engage through initiatives like the #SipBlack Challenge to the funding we provide through our #SipBlack Emerging Entrepreneurs Grant and the capital we plan to invest in the future.

Contact Info:

• Website: sipblackonly.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/sippingblackonly/
• Facebook: facebook.com/sippingblackonly
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/sipping-black-only/
• Twitter: twitter.com/sippinblackonly