The STEPUP Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation, provides underserved and underrepresented individuals with training, encouragement, and opportunities to enter the craft spirits community through a comprehensive internship program.
“There has been much I’ve learned through STEPUP that has been immediately useful—understanding distillery processes helped me to onboard/get through training faster. Now as I’ve become more comfortable in my role, I can also contribute to FEW (Spirits) using the knowledge I’ve gained through STEPUP.” – Erin Lee, 2022 STEPUP Alumni, Distiller at FEW Spirits
APPLICATIONS for 2025 are now OPEN!
The American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) recognized a lack of diversity in the alcoholic beverage sector long before it catapulted to media headlines in 2020. Social justice issues pervaded our airwaves. Unless you live under a rock, most Americans now understand a diverse workplace contributes to higher performance, innovation, creativity, and overall growth for businesses throughout America.
STEPUP Foundation was launched in August 2020 to bridge the gap between an interest in and acquiring skills to succeed in a segment of the alcohol beverage community.
Yakntoro “Yaki” Udoumoh, 2022 STEPUP Alumni, Distiller at Sagamore Spirits
Washington, DC (March 16, 2023) – The American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) and The Spirits Training Entrepreneurship Program for Underrepresented Professionals (STEPUP Foundation) are proud to announce that as the second class of interns, mentors, and participating distilleries are well into this year’s programming, both graduates of the 2022 class have now accepted positions of employment within the drinks industry.
The alcoholic beverage section captures the best of what Americans offer within a manufacturing community: passion, innovation, creativity, collaboration, independence, marriage of skills and disciplines, and outreach among multiple sectors from agriculture, to hospitality and tourism, to marketing and sales to industrial processes.
The pipeline to recruit qualified candidates is narrow, however, and underrepresented communities may lack knowledge or training to access this beverage sector.
The purpose of STEPUP is to increase talent through facilitation of workplace diversity. Specifically, STEPUP, working with distilleries and suppliers throughout the United States, will provide a comprehensive training program and provide job exposure for those of different races, genders, disabilities, and sexual orientations.
Successful scholarship interns will bring passion, motivation, and an ability to immerse in an up to year long program which will expose candidates to all facets of owning and operating a distillery.
Applicant criteria under development.
DSP criteria to host interns under development.
Wholesaler and Supplier criteria to host interns under development.
Application under development.
Applications will be reviewed and selected by the STEPUP Board of Directors. The timeline is currently under development.
Initially, two applicants per year will matriculate through the program. Growing the number of placements per year will be contingent on donor funding.
Good Deeds Spirits are limited edition spirits, conceptualized by a group of friends, and passionate distillers, founded with a mission of raising funds to increase inclusion and diversity within the distilling industry. Each of the Good Deeds releases will benefit a cause, with 100% of revenues going directly back to each beneficiary.
The STEPUP Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation, is a spirits training and entrepreneurship program for underrepresented professionals in the spirits industry.
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Copyright 2020 STEPUP Foundation. All rights reserved.
STEPUP Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, EIN 85-2454665
