A new Adelaide craft brewery with an all-female brewing team has launched a range of products that seek to address serious social issues head on.
The Sparkke Change Beverage Company describes itself as a “progressive brand pushing their social agenda through beer”.
It is run by a team of nine young women with diverse backgrounds and orientations who say they want to shake up the male-dominated industry.
One of Sparkke’s stand-out features is the strong messaging on their cans - ‘Consent Can’t Come After You Do’ (a cider addressing sexual consent), ‘Change The Date’ (a Pilsner targeting Australia Day), ‘Nipples are Nipples’ (a lemonade tackling gender equality), and ‘Boundless Plains To Share’ (a ginger beer raising asylum seeker issues).
Sarah Barrable-Tishauer of Sparkke said, “We realise it’s a totally new way to tackle social issues, but if you think about it, the greatest conversation starter of our generation – and most generations – is a social drink. We want to get people talking about important issues in relaxed settings where the real conversations happen – and at the same time get a smile or two.”
The products themselves have been crafted by Agi Gajic, one of Australia's only young female head brewers who created an award-winning brew for Young Henrys.
In addition to sparking discussion on important issues, Gajic says, the company is also passionate about producing high quality brews.
“We’ve taken a lot of pride in our product,” Gajic says. “We’re really focused on perfecting our great tasting and sessionable drinks ready for this summer.”
“A brand like Sparkke has to be about more than just passionate, clever messaging – it has to deliver on taste too, and I’m proud of what’s been achieved. The feedback at a recent beer festival in Adelaide was incredibly positive.”
The company is seeking to raise $500,000 in order to get their products out to retail channels. To this end, the Sparkke Change Beverage Company is live on crowd funding website Pozible.
Sparkke’s target is to sell 10,000 cases in order to bring the products to market this summer.
The company is also partnering with a range of community organisations and donating 10 per cent of direct sales to causes that its founders believe strongly in.
