Written by Olivia Campbell
G N I C U D O R T IN
86 T N E M S S A HAR er, B u il d in g S a f f u l S p a c e s in t M o r e R e s p e c h o l & H o s p it a l it y co Beverage Al
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n 2024, the beverage alcohol and hospitality industries witnessed the launch of 86 Harassment, a groundbreaking, industry-wide resource dedicated to fostering safer and more respectful workplaces. The initiative represents the culmination of more than three years of collaboration, volunteer time, creative problem-solving, and a shared desire to build a better future for the industry.
Origins of 86 Harassment The 86 Harassment effort is a key initiative of Women of the Vine & Spirits (WOTVS),1 the leading mission-driven global membership organization dedicated to empowering and advancing women in the alcohol and alternative beverage industry. As a global community, WOTVS is committed to addressing challenges that have long impacted women in this historically male-dominated field and to creating a more equitable and inclusive 1 https://www.womenofthevine.com/cpages/ home W W W . ARTISANSPIRITMAG . C O M
industry. Recognizing that harassment and sexual violence remain pervasive issues across industries, WOTVS took action by developing a tangible solution. The name 86 Harassment is a deliberate play on words familiar to anyone in hospitality. In restaurant and bar lingo, to “86” something means to remove it from the menu or cut it out entirely. Applied here, it’s a bold statement of purpose — to remove harassment of any form from the beverage alcohol and hospitality industries. The urgency for change reached a peak in 2020 when the New York Times2 published an exposé on sexual harassment and assault within the Court of Master Sommeliers. The report triggered widespread reflection across the sector, and WOTVS responded with a Pledge of Commitment to End Sexual Harassment in Beverage Alcohol, signaling the need for immediate industry action. Shortly thereafter, WOTVS partnered with the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, (RAINN),3 North America’s larg2 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/29/dining/ drinks/court-of-master-sommeliers-sexual-harassment-wine.html 3
https://rainn.org/
est anti-sexual violence organization, to deliver customized training programs open to the public and at no cost to participants. The movement gained further momentum as the beer industry faced its own reckoning, with accounts of harassment shared publicly on social media. It became clear to WOTVS that a more robust industry-wide response was necessary — not just from large corporations with human resource teams and compliance departments, but from every corner of hospitality, including small wineries, breweries, and distilleries that often lack funding for such resources. Recognizing this gap, a small team from Pernod Ricard North America, led by Kayla Campbell and Michelle Cubbon, approached WOTVS with a vision to collaborate. Together, they envisioned a program designed for both employers and employees with practical, accessible tools laying the foundation for what would eventually become 86 Harassment. With financial support and strategic guidance from Pernod Ricard, and with additional industry sponsorship from Brown-Forman, The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC), and Spirits Canada, the initiative officially launched in March 2024. 81