How firms are marking International Women's Day

Pub operator and brewer Fuller, Smith & Turner recently held its first ever IWD menu dish competition with the winning plate, a banana bread from Kiah Enticknap of the Queen’s Head in Kingston, London, added to the menu across Fuller’s managed estate throughout March.

Additionally, 50p donation from each dish sold, facilitated by Work for Good, will be given to Refuge, which supports women and children experiencing domestic abuse.

Fuller’s food marketing manager Ella Cranmer said: “I’m so pleased to have launched this competition. While we have some amazing role models, women are still underrepresented in Britain’s kitchens.

“Raising their profile with great competitions like this is one way we can highlight the amazing female role models across the Fuller’s estate.

“It’s also great to be raising money for Refuge as a result. All women should be celebrated, and we wanted to make sure the inspiration and talent of our female chefs​ can be used to help give a better life to women who are suffering abuse.”

Brewhouse & Kitchen is also celebrating IWD ​across it’s brewpubs with the launch of its sixth annual FemALE Brewery Experience Day.

As part of the International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day, a movement banding together thousands of women in beer globally, this years’ experience will see participants brew in the theme of celebration.

Once the beer ​is tapped and ready, the pub operator and brewer will invite everyone back for the 10 Year anniversary party on Sunday 26th March.

Key to success 

To date, some 1,121 women have so far brewed with the company in previous years.

Brewhouse and Kitchen marketing manager Gail Bunn said: “Women have greater ability to distinguish between high numbers of aromas and flavours, which is key to success in craft brewing.

“Along with this, beer companies are more aware of the importance of female beer drinkers and women now feel more comfortable to drink beer, attend pubs and contribute to the growth of the industry.

“We’re seeing this reflected in both our customers base and growth of women participating in our Brewing Academy, specifically our accredited, award-winning Brewing Apprenticeship program, which fosters successful careers in brewing.

“We want to celebrate women’s contributions to the industry, provide a great, fun [experience] where women can either join us for the day or pop in for part of it, and bond over coffees, beer, breakfast and lunch. 

“If we are lucky, it may encourage new ladies to consider the trade by introducing them to the brewing process.”

In the drinks industry, award-winning and female-founded mixer brand Double Dutch has launched Trailblazer, a multi-channel campaign to celebrate pioneering women in the drinks industry.

The campaign will highlight 50 women driving the drinks industry forward with a multi-platform video as well as launch the third of its Female Bartending Scholarship Programme and the roll out of a press campaign celebrating women in the industry. 

Some of the names mentioned in the campaign include Laura Willoughby, founder of Club Soda a global mindful drinking movement, Amanda Thomson, advocate for transparency in ingredients and founder of Thomson & Scott, and Anna Sebastian, founder of Celebrate Her, a non-profit elevating woman in hospitality.

Double Dutch has also launched a charity initiative in partnership with the Change A Girl’s Life campaign, which is run by The Prince’s Trust Women Supporting Women community, pledging to donate 30% of sales from its ‘exploration pack’ to help raise funds.

Another new product for IWD​, Black Sheep Brewery has released a new limited addition stout, Blossom (7% ABV) to mark International Women’s Day 2023.

A strong cherry stout, Blossom has been brewed from start to finish by the female members of the Black Sheep Brewery team and will be available on cask at Black Sheep pubs and at the brewery from today 8th March.

It will also be available in limited edition 500ml bottles online and in the brewery shop.

The cherry infused stout has dark roasted malts and silky oats at its core with chocolate and coffee flavours.

Black Sheep Brewery CEO Charlene Lyons said: “It was great to collaborate and build relationships across different departments, highlighting the team’s hard work and success, and to build on our efforts to support women in other ways as a business.

Breaking systemic barriers 

“I am extremely proud of the inclusivity across Black Sheep Brewery and look forward to seeing more women working in traditionally male dominated industries, such as breweries in the future. There’s plenty of space and opportunity for everyone.”

Looking to the wholesale side of the sector, foodservice wholesaler Brakes has launched a new vehicle livery to encourage women to consider a career in the industry.

Designed in purple, the colour of International Women’s Day, the vehicle features three women in various wholesale roles. To mark IWD​, the vehicle will go into service today (Wednesday 8 March).

The launch was led by Clare Lowrie, Senior Learning and Development Partner at Sysco in Great Britain, and is part of the ongoing activities by IMPACT, the Sysco in GB female-focused colleague resource group which was founded in 2019 to create safe spaces for women to share their stories, support each other and improve female colleague experiences.

Sysco Great Britain HR director Margaret Gooch said: “We want to encourage people to apply to the company without restriction and ensure we do what we can to remove systemic barriers and biases so that outcomes are based only on an individual’s talents, gifts and work.

“Women are under-represented in wholesale and we saw International Women’s Day​ as the perfect opportunity to get our latest vehicle on the road, emblazoned with photographs of women in a range of roles across the business.”

The new lorry will initially be based on Brakes’ Warrington depot, before embarking on a tour of the company’s estate.

Aicha Lahsen, who will be the first to take control of the new vehicle, said: “I love my career as a driver at Brakes, so it’ll be nice to encourage other women to follow in my footsteps.

“While it’s still unusual to see a woman driving a HGV, with the support of companies like Brakes, it won’t be long before we see more women behind the wheel.”

Suffolk-based operator and brewer Greene King has also celebrated success stories of women from across its business. Read more here​.