Black is Beautiful at Broken Boundary

So why are we brewing Black is Beautiful?

When friends and customers ask us about the name, “Broken Boundary”, we tend to lean into an explanation of beer styles, innovation and the boundary between traditional and novel approaches to brewing that we’d like to break down in order to respect amazing beer regardless of how it’s made.

But the name represents more than that for us.

My name is Chris Cook. I’m the Head Brewer and Co-Founder of Broken Boundary Brewery. I moved to O’ahu from California in 2008 because this place challenges me to be a better person. I personally feel that living here has put me in touch with a deep sense of truth and purpose and has shone a light on my own limitations… my own boundaries that need to be broken if I am to embody that sense of truth. I feel that the islands have given me so much. And I want to give back, as much as I am able.

From the beginning of planning this brewery, my partner, Bill Sumrow, and I wanted to ensure that our business gave back to the communities that sustain us. We measure our success in our ability to increase the success of those around us. This philosophy starts with our team, continues through our customers, and extends into our communities. It is vitally important for us to listen to those in our communities whose voices are too frequently unheard, especially when those voices are trying to make us aware of injustices and inequalities.

The Black Is Beautiful initiative is an opportunity for Broken Boundary Brewery to join in a worldwide collaborative movement to amplify the voices of Black people in our communities. The humane values inherent in the Black Is Beautiful initiative resonate with us. So when the good people at Weathered Souls Brewing Company in San Antonio, Texas asked to collaborate with breweries around the world, we wanted to offer what small resources we have to the cause.

We have partnered with The Popolo Project, a local non-profit organization that seeks to redefine what it means to be Black in Hawai’i. At Broken Boundary Brewery, we understand that we can best promote the success of our communities by amplifying the voices of others who have valuable experiences to share. The Popolo Project does an incredible job of communicating the Black experience in our communities. Check them out: www.thepopoloproject.org