Our Humble Beginnings
The Pink Boots Society was formed in 2007 during our Founder, Teri Fahrendorf’s, 139-day gypsy brewing road trip across the country and back.
“In 2007 I quit my job after 19 years as a brewmaster and went in search of adventure and another job. What I found were many
new or young women brewers who had never met a woman brewmaster, and in fact, had never met another woman brewer. They
had felt throughout their careers that they were “the only woman brewer”, and thus felt quite alone.”
Teri began tracking the women brewers she met along her road trip. When she posted her initial list of 60 women brewers
online, she called the list “The Pink Boots Society.” The name was inspired by Teri’s own pink boots (given to her by her
mother-in-law), worn throughout her trip. In April 2008, she invited the women on the list to attend a luncheon. During the
meeting, Teri posed several questions, and the women present voted for two key things: they wanted Pink Boots Society to be an
organization, and the organization stood for one thing: Women Beer Professionals. Therefore, any woman—anywhere in the
world—who earned income from beer would be able to join.
Today we have created an organization that provides a genuine community for mutual support and advancement of women and non-binary individuals within the fermented beverage industry.
TIMELINE
2007 - The Pink Boots Society was established in 2007 by Teri Fahrendorf with only 16 members.
2008 - Laura Ulrich held the first Pink Boots meeting at the CBC, which was attended by 22 women.
2013 - Pink Boots Society became a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in 2013. Started our scholarship program and awarded 6 by the end of the year.
2014 - By 2014, awarded 10 scholarships. Began collecting data from our members & community partners to discover the impact our scholarships were having around the world, and where we were needed most.
2015 - Launched new programs - our collaboration brew day and our cultural immersion program. Awarded 12 scholarships.
2016 - Established our first functional board of directors in 2016. Expanded our programs and scholarships. Began with a new membership database and implemented new technology, overhauled membership requirements, and began fresh with paid membership. Awarded 17 scholarships.
2017 - We celebrated our 10th anniversary in 2017 by putting on the first all-women beer conference in the world & a beer festival. Celebrated the inaugural Biere de Femme Fest in North Carolina put on by their chapter. Awarded 21 scholarships. Offered our first international scholarship to Germany.
2018 - Partnered with Yakima Chief Hops to create our own hop blend in 2018, the Pink Boots Blend. Received a donation for $39,852 from the sale of the hops. Voted on dues increase to help chapter financials, and developed a Chapter Financial Guide. Added 2 new Director positions to board. Awarded 25 scholarships.
2019 - In 2019, held our 2nd beer conference in Austin. Received a check from Yakima Chief Hops & Great Western Malting for $100,000 from the Pink Boots Hop Blend. Brought on Scientific Societies to facilitate and help manage our growth and future. Awarded 46 scholarships.
2020 - Launched an Online Community Communication Platform and Educational Library in 2020. Our Board Voted to include members working in Fermented/Alcohol Beverages beyond Beer to our eligibility requirements. Awarded 47 scholarships despite 2020 travel restrictions. Revamped our scholarship application process to make it much more user friendly.
2021 - Expanded our mission to be inclusive of non-binary individuals and other fermentables. Collaborated with other organizations in the industry to create the BRU Coalition and implemented a third-party reporting system for Pink Boots members, attendees, and events. Received over 500 Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day® registrations. Awarded 65 scholarships.
2022 - We hosted our 3rd National Conference in Charlotte, NC. Began hosting Membership Roundtables to dialog with other members about specific topics. Received over 500 Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day® registrations. Awarded 59 scholarships.
2023 - Introduced Educational Webinars on a variety of topics. Created new comprehensive Brand Guidelines, Chapter Spending Policy, and added more scholarships in other fermentables.
2024 - Pink Boots launches a new website and will be hosting our 4th Biennial Conference in Philadelphia in June!