Weathered Souls’ Marcus Baskerville Encourages People Who Look Like Him To Tap Into The Brewing Industry
Marcus Baskerville had ambitions of becoming an entrepreneur from the very beginning.
In fact, as a kid, he found a hustle by way of being the school snack supplier and well, as they say, the rest is history.
“I always knew that I wanted to be a business owner,” Baskerville told aspireTV. “In the 7th grade, my older brother worked for Sam’s Club so I used a few dollars and had him buy snacks, candy, and gum in bulk since our school didn’t have a student store and sold candy outside of my backpack for months with a friend.”
What’s more, the Weathered Souls Co. owner even provided some students with the option to pay a higher fee for a membership program that allowed them to get the snacks at a discount rate. The side gig was short-lived after school leaders found out and shut the business down, but the entrepreneurial urge stayed with Baskerville forever.
After historically becoming the first Black brewer in the state of Texas and the first Black member of the Texas Brewers Guild, the California-born business owner is now using Weathered Souls to cultivate delicious drinks for customers in locations like San Antonio and Charlotte, North Carolina. He is also using his expertise to create opportunities for other people who look like him through an initiative called Black Is Beautiful.
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According to the program’s website, “this open-ended beer collaboration supports the National Black Brewers Association’s work in developing and growing Black brewers nationwide.”
“Black is Beautiful was a catalyst to a lot of breweries meeting new diverse communities and raising money to provide outlets for growth,” Baskerville explained. “There are programs, training, and incubations that have been created since Black is Beautiful that are more minority focused.”
This year’s selection for the resource is an IPA that he describes as “fantastic and hazy.” For each 4-pack that is sold, $1 goes toward supporting its future initiative and helping to fund the overall organization.
Baskerville also offered advice for anyone looking to tap into the craft beer industry.
“Start visiting your local breweries, ask a lot of questions, and look for resources with the National Black Brewers Association,” he said. “More resources are popping up daily for minorities and other demographics to enter into beer.”
Additionally, Baskerville also cleared up one huge misconception when it comes to the beverage that has made him quite a successful entrepreneur.
“The biggest misconception is that people say, ‘Beer isn’t for me,’” he shared. “Beer is absolutely for everyone. I always tell people that it isn’t necessarily that you don’t like beer. It’s just you haven’t found a beer you enjoy yet.”
Baskerville continued: “At Weathered Souls we create a multitude of different beers with amazing quality. That ranges from a light lager for easy entry, to beers that taste like pecan pie, with toasted pecans, maple syrup, vanilla beans, and cinnamon, allspice.
