KANSAS CITY, Mo — This week allegations of women being harassed at Boulevard Brewing Company spread throughout the internet and spilled into news headlines.
The allegations weren't a complete shock for some local females in the industry.
It all started with a post on Reddit.
A former female employee claimed she'd faced discrimination while pregnant and working for Boulevard.
She also mentioned instances of other women who were allegedly sexually harassed, claiming upper management didn't properly act on those complaints.
In a matter of days, the post went viral, with multiple women commenting on the Reddit post and Boulevard's Facebook page.
They shared how they'd allegedly experienced something similar at Boulevard or at other brewing locations.
41 Action News reached out to a couple of local women in the industry to see if the beer business is as some social media commentary claimed, a bit of a "boys' club."
One of the women we sat down with is Courtney Servaes, the owner and head brewmaster at Servaes Brewing Company in Shawnee,Kansas.
Because she went from home brewer to independent business owner, she says she hasn't personally experienced anything akin to those claims in the workplace.
However she acknowledges there is a stigma in her industry.
She shares the story of a friend at a different brewer who, as recently as this weekend, made a recommendation to a customer to check out her business.
"The guy said, 'Servaes? Is that the one with the girl Brewer?' And (my friend) said, 'Yeah.' And the guy said, 'Well, I won’t be going there.' And they got in their car and drove off," Servaes said.
"If someone walks into the brewery and I have a man bartender and a female bartender, they walk up to the guy and they ask him if he's the brewer, they don't ask her," Servaes said.
It's something Mistie Roberts says she's also encountered. Roberts owns Red Crow Brewing Company in Olathe with her husband. And while he handles the brewing, she runs the business. She says sometimes customers seem surprised by that.
Although Roberts says there's a bond between small breweries in the area, she says other women agree it's hard to advance in their field.
"Like wanting to move up and feeling like, 'I'm never going to end up as a brewer because I just don't feel as though I'm taken as seriously as the men," Roberts said.
Still, even knowing they're working in somewhat of a male-dominated field, both women said the allegations involving Boulevard came as a surprise, given their legacy in the Kansas City area.
"Boulevard was one of my pedestal breweries. So you're kind of watching, you think 'What are they doing? How are they doing it?' And I would've always just assumed they were running their business the same way I was. And they weren't," Roberts said. "It happens. And it shouldn't happen in this day and age, but it happens."
Servaes and Roberts say they pride themselves on running businesses where they try to make their employees feel safe, valued, and heard.
After hearing women say that wasn't their experience at Boulevard, these local business owners hope the local brewing giant will make some major changes.
"I think I appreciate that they're trying to fix it, and maybe them trying to fix it will set an example. Maybe this will set an example for other breweries their size, an example of what not to do," Servaes said.
Meanwhile, these ladies hope customers will support them and other female business owners. And not just because they're women, but because they say they've earned their place at the table.
"I just want people to support us because we're a good business, because we treat our staff well, and we are good at what we do," Roberts said.
