FEATURE / Two Birds Brewing
Birds of a feather
Craft beer has taken off in clubs, with some venues even introducing their own brews. Two Birds Brewing Co-Founder Danielle Allen reveals all to Brydie Allen about being the country’s first female-founded brewery.
WHILE DANIELLE ALLEN didn’t start
we’re still here 10 years later. Obviously,
originally found her feet in liquor through
now we’re part of Lion, but in terms of
her working life in the beer sector she
marketing. In the early 2000s, she got a taste of the industry through Metcash,
followed by a role at Woolworths around the same time private label activity was
the priority of starting a brewery or a
owning and driving the brand direction
founded brewery was just about making
and deciding where it goes, that’s still very much on Jayne and my shoulders.”
Being Australia’s first female-founded
beginning to take off.
brewery is something that drives the brand
in product development from start to
been an important event for Two Birds for
In marketing, Danielle became involved
finish - and everything in between. She developed significant knowledge on
global routes to market with brands and
companies in their early stages and gained a solid understanding of how the liquor industry worked.
After touring US craft breweries with
Jayne Lewis, Danielle had a lightbulb moment which would eventually be
developed into Two Birds Brewing. Lewis
had taken on roles at Little Creatures and
Mountain Goat and shared the ambition of wanting to launch a business.
“We realised with the background and
skill set I had, and her brewing skills,
we could team up and start a brewery
together,” says Danielle. “We launched Two Birds in 2011, built a brewery in 2014, and 70 / Club Management
“[But] it was never the objective or
we have a slightly different structure
and is why International Women’s Day has many years. It led to the creation of the
beer brand. Being Australia’s first femalegood beer because why shouldn’t we start a brewery? Now, we want to be not only
just a female voice in beer, but to inspire women to have a second think about
industries they might not automatically think they’re allowed to step into.”
It’s why the fundraising initiative with
limited annual Warrior Woman beer release
Endeavour Group is so special, because
collaboration with Endeavour
who can’t afford them but need them for
along with events and a recent fundraising Group around the Summer Ale SKU.
“It means justice and dignity, which
I think are two great values for us as a
business to hold ourselves accountable to,” says Danielle. Leading the beer industry
towards more gender equality has come
about with time as Two Birds has become part of the landscape.
“As we’ve gotten older, wiser and more
settled into the business with the brand being more established, it has really
it’s intended to provide boots to women workplace safety purposes in industries
such as brewing. Another defining moment was signing a “ground-breaking” sports sponsorship deal with AFL team, the Western Bulldogs.
It was the first time an independent craft
brewery forged a partnership with a major
football club and led to Two Birds not only entering the mainstream but celebrating women’s AFL teams, too.
“It was a great alignment of two brands
been about driving awareness around
coming together for the greater good and
conversation down that path,” says Danielle.
says Danielle.
equality and diversity and helping lead the
was when women’s AFL had just started,”
