A DIFFERENT M&M STORY THE MOORS MEN A DIFFERENT M&M STORY THE MOORS MEN

“We go way back,” said Jahmal, “I first met Damon and Anthony at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign freshman year in college, but those two had already known each other for some time,” he shared. “Anthony and I have known each other since we were like five and went to Beasley Academic Center together, so we’ve known each other since we were kids,” added Damon. In college the crew would throw parties and events together. Jahmal and Anthony had even previously operated an experiential marketing firm together in the past. No matter what the young professionals were doing in their respective careers they all stayed connected with the intentions of finding a way to work together.

When hearing their story of how they got started and what they were doing before Moor’s or the moment the company was born, it’s a bit mind blowing. Maybe close friends and peers know the breadth and depth of these tastemakers’ but outside of that small circle not so much, certainly not me. Think back to covid, I know it isn’t our favorite thing to reflect on but seriously remember how that space of stillness each of us was forced to take birthed new ideas, new beginnings, and new ways of working. Before Moor’s the fellas knew they want- ed to work together, but it wasn’t until that summer of 2021 their vision manifested into the brand we know and love today.

“Jahmal and I during the pandemic had an idea to do drive-in movies. We heard through the grapevine that a good friend was about to do the same thing,” began Anthony, then briefly paused,” peace and blessings to Tionna,” before continuing. “So, we partnered with Tionna of Fueled Events to do drive-in movies at Soldier Field stadium, and it was a complete success,” he said. The duo was responsible for the marketing and promotions of this creative experience. Summertime-CHI on some level was just now returning after the world had been shut down. Their partnership met the needs of a restless city while honoring the spirit of Chicago. The event produced 52 sold out. What? Amidst the throes of the drive ins success both Jamhal and Anthony were thinking about their next move. “Antho- ny and I were in a creative-mind space and I was thinking how can we capitalize on this new energy of diversity, equity and inclusion?” said Jahmal.

Little did he know what was brewing 1400 miles south in Florida with Damon, where a private beach party in Miami turned these brothers’ eyes and ambitions towards a billion dollar beer industry.

“Damon called me up one day excited about this Black beach party in Florida and he said, “Hey we should make beer. We all felt it was a great opportunity to link it to the culture, highlight a time in history where we were rulers and leverage the reality of the Moors’ contributions to the science of fermentation and distilling process,” Jahmal shared.

At the time of Moor’s birth as a beer many things were shifting both in Black culture and on the shelves. Damon ar- ticulates, “this is OUR pandemic project that really has just taken off. Thinking about that moment in time when we were as a society…dealing with the murder of George Floyd. God rest his soul; we saw Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben come off the boxes of brands and suddenly you look up and there is no Black representation in consumer packaged goods at a national level.” It was eye opening for them to realize not only the dearth of diversity on all the shelves, but little representation on beer cans at all. Damon admits that there are indeed some beer companies that speak to the culture and Black experience but nothing like their imagery on shelves anywhere. Reflections turned into revelations as the team learned about the hidden history of the Moor’s as a dynamic historical group of Muslim people of North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula during the

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Middle Ages. Between 711 C.E. and 1492 C.E. Muslim people of African descent controlled parts of Iberia ,which consist of modern-day Spain and Portugal. This conscious choice resulted in the brand choosing to be intentionally unapologetically Black, brand forward and distinctive when compared to even other Black beer brands. Patton believes major investors and buyers are able to be attracted and their attention held because of their philosophy and practice of embracing Black history and infusing that into every aspect of their production, branding and marketing.

Jahmal chimes in,” besides how we look, we have good products and they taste good,” he shared, “If we had terrible beer, it would be hard to make these moves and fortunately for us, we have great tasting products AND we have a great brand.” The proof is in the metrics. In less than 2 years they are now in over 350 locations and have served over 12,500 cans of beer.

From a buyer’s perspective the image draws you in and inspires you to want to know more…no pun intended. Google, “who were the Moor’s” and you get 16 million hits of a range of blogs, postings, images, and YouTube videos. It is a bit of a challenge to discern accuracy as well as who is the authority on them. Reviewing the many sites, I gained a new appreciation for the work of the trio. It becomes even clearer as to the space available for Black entrepreneurs to hold and the inherent need for products and services that bring our history to light with pride, courage, and class.

Their pride doesn’t stop with the product. Selecting Juneteenth as their official launch date was intentional and their annual Emancipation Ball is another proclamation of freedom to create spaces for other Black businesses to come together in solidarity. “Our company was founded on June 19th, 2021, and that is the year it also became a national holiday. For us it is our anniversary, but we know it is a growing celebration in our community and across the nation. So, we’ve partnered with other Black companies to highlight and celebrate their restaurants and spirit brands. We want to commemorate our anniversary by dropping our newest product while honoring the work each of our companies has done over the year,’ said Jahmal. Guests will enjoy an array of food stations and beverages with some having access to exclusive experiences and will enjoy the ambiance at Rockwell on the River Friday June 16th.

“The Emancipation Ball is a celebration of culture, community, and commerce. We are proud to have cultural allies like the Chicago Blackhawks, Breakthru Beverage, United Way, Boston Consulting Group and others celebrating both financial freedom and the emancipation of Black Americans alongside us,” shared Patton.

The brand has cycled around Black Chicago supporting other projects and programs. It isn’t uncommon to see them on local Black podcasts supporting creatives as either guests or sponsors. You can find their logo on events, partnering with the Chicago Hip Hop Heritage Museum and at the Hyde Park Summerfest, you can catch them doing tastings around the city at Mariano’s, Haymarket Brewery and even the Cubs stadium. Their presence is inclusive and reflective of the culture of Chicago.

“There is a lot that goes into building the foundation of an empire and it isn’t taught to our people the true work it takes to start a business. Oth- er demographics have the chance to operate turnkey businesses, they get companies passed down. Communicating is also probably the most important aspect of business and no one expected us to be able to compete with larger brands that don’t look like us. But we ARE building a beverage empire and we are just beginning,” said Anthony.

This is bigger than beer. As they prepare to celebrate their 2nd anniversary let us all reflect on our freedoms to create and celebrate our hidden history. Let us each direct our attention to the investments we make into each other and cultural allies. Let us welcome the men of Moor’s to a spot in history with a spirit filled cheers.

By Mila K. Marshall PhD CNW Cannabis Corner Editor