One of the pieces of advice I constantly give my 6-year old: “If you see someone doing something that could hurt someone else, tell them to stop. If that doesn’t work, get some help.” That’s not tattling. That’s just being a good citizen. Sometimes, getting that help and the change it brings only comes once someone blows a very public whistle on problematic behavior.
Recently, one group of employees at Citizen Cider in Burlington, Vermont, decided to speak up when they felt something wasn’t right. In June, the cidery launched a beer named “Hey Bub,” a “hard working, easy drinking” light beer with an accompanying website and Instagram page dedicated to the new product. At first blush, it seemed to be business as usual. But a group of employees questioned the marketing rollout, which included leadership compelling pub staff to wear Hey Bub branded shirts with sexually suggestive taglines like “Keep It Trimmed,” “Get Plowed,” and “Approved for Hooking Up.”
It’s not uncommon for consumers to ring an alarm when they spot corporate malfeasance, but warnings are more effective when that call comes from inside the house. That’s why we’re celebrating Citizen Cider’s whistleblowers, including two on-the-record former employees who showed strength in putting their faces and names to callout inappropriate behavior.
Hey Bub’s marketing was at best juvenile and at worst, overtly offensive and misogynistic. Several first-hand accounts describe employees expressing discomfort at wearing the shirts at the beer’s launch party, dubbed Bub Fest. One queer-identifying former employee, Mo Cummings, was fired a few days later, reportedly for her “bad attitude" relating to the event and shirts. Additionally, during Pride Month, former general manager Megan Maher reported a conversation about fears of queer erasure and insufficient support for LGBTQIA+ employees, which was left unresolved by upper management. Media coverage of the controversy snowballed, leading to an employee exodus and boycott that led to a noticeable decline in sales.
Soon after, Citizen Cider announced it was launching an investigation into its workplace practices and discontinued the shirts, but the beer’s website and Instagram pages are still active. (It would appear that if you can’t appeal to their morals, appeal to their wallets.) The folks who spoke up at Citizen Cider saw something that could hurt someone else and did something about it. Doing what’s right isn’t always easy, but it’s always necessary. Even 6-year olds know that.
Words,Beth Demmon