Each year, Buffalo Beer Goddesses awards a couple of women an opportunity to enter into a Cicerone Certification Program (CCP), which helps to elevate their knowhow when it comes to the brewing industry. In a field that is typically dominated by males, the Buffalo Beer Goddesses set out to level that playing field, by providing women with experiential learning opportunities that they might not otherwise be afforded.
This year’s CCP winners are Kait Prendergast and Devon Sundlov, who are both members of the Buffalo Beer Goddesses, and who outwardly demonstrate their brewing abilities while yearning to further their knowledge of the industry.
The Cicerone Scholarship provides WNY women with funding to offset the cost of the Cicerone exams, travel and required study materials.
“In the second year of our Cicerone scholarship for WNY Women we were fortunate enough to award scholarships to very active members,” says Tracey Stack Maciejewski, treasurer of the Buffalo Beer Goddesses. “Both Kait and Devon are very passionate about beer and brewing and we can’t wait to see how they use their new found knowledge to advance women in the Western New York beer industry.”
Now that Buffalo is considered a brew town once again, it’s important that everyone has an opportunity to share in the spoils. Anyone who is immersed into a certified cicerone program comes away with vast knowledge of the world of brewing. Buffalo Beer Goddesses helps to offset the costs that are associated with the learning opportunities. They are able to do this by hosting a number of events throughout the course of the year, such as the Buffalo Beer Prom and Tour de Cask.
“Brewing is exciting because it’s something I thought was relegated to big factories and is suddenly attainable in my kitchen,” says Prendergast. “One thing I definitely wanted to emphasize was how much I love making people feel welcome, because we have all felt left out at some point, whether it was at a middle school sleepover or the lunch table at the office. While the beer industry may seem full of ‘bros’, at the heart are so many awesome people who want to include you.”