When Carmen Favela and Esthela Davila first launched the San Diego-based Mujeres Brew Club—a woman-led, Latinx-focused beer education group—in 2019, they were bowled over by the support, interest, and participation coming out of the city’s craft beer scene. Meetings regularly hit capacity, and members enthusiastically snapped up swag to spread the word. Like everyone, COVID-19 hit them hard, but thanks to virtual communication and patron brewery Border X Brewing’s sprawling outdoor space, Mujeres Brew Club’s meetings continued to flourish.
Attendance remained so robust that the pair quickly realized they’d outgrown their starter home in Barrio Logan, a historically Hispanic community less than 20 miles from Tijuana. It was time to upgrade. A vacant brewery in the same neighborhood served as a new venue and source of equipment; Border X provided the capital and brewing chops; and every volunteer member rolled up their sleeves to build furniture, paint murals, and prep the space for Mujeres to transform into a fully-fledged, community co-op brewery.
Mujeres Brew House officially opened on November 13, and while customer capacity has waned thanks to California’s coronavirus restrictions, interest has only increased. Out of over 150 breweries in San Diego, none are solely owned or operated by women (even Mujeres has a third owner, Border X’s David Favela) and very few are Latinx-owned. But it’s a significant step in the direction towards equity—a step San Diego needs just as much as the rest of craft beer.
Words,Beth Demmon