The Tennessee Craft Brewers Guild celebrates the one-year anniversary of its Farm to Tap campaign this month by kicking off a series of multi-media “Pioneer Stories.”
This collection of video and blog posts highlights the relationships between Tennessee’s farmers and brewers. The series kicks off with a Farm to Tap produced video highlighting Willis Farms and Tennessee Brew Works, as well as a blog post featuring Johnson City Brewing’s annual collaboration with Norris Family Farm. In addition, the “Pioneer Stories” series includes segments produced by Tennessee Crossroads and RFD-TV.
“We’ve connected with brewers across the state who use unique local ingredients and partner with farms in interesting ways. From grains to gourds, Farm to Tap, like farm to table, is the tradition of sourcing local,” said Sharon Cheek, Tennessee Craft Brewers Guild executive director. “Pioneer Stories capture the essence of this movement, and we hope it inspires a growing number of Tennessee’s farmers and brewers to work together and add their story to this homegrown legacy.”
In partnership with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and other industry stakeholders, The Tennessee Craft Brewers Guild launched Farm to Tap in November 2021 with kick-off events at Harding House Brewing in Nashville, Printshop Brewing in Knoxville, and Soul & Spirits Brewery in Memphis. In its first year, Farm to Tap hosted festivals across the state, initiated industry surveys, organized farmer and brewer networking events, and more.
“Farmers and brewers have been working hand in hand for decades now,” said Kyle Hensley, Tennessee Department of Agriculture Business Consultant. “This relationship is important to Tennessee economically and agriculturally, so we started this series to share these incredible stories and emphasize the impact they have on the state.”
With the program’s state funding continuing for a second year, the Guild will advance Farm to Tap’s momentum by fostering more industry collaboration, look at opportunities to support research, and highlight pioneers in the craft beer industry through this “Pioneer Stories” series.
The “Pioneer Stories” are available to view on the Farm to Tap website here: www.farmtotap.org/pioneer-stories.