Crowns & Hops

What Crowns & Hops does

Crowns & Hops Brewing Co. is a privately held, Black-owned craft beer brand headquartered in Inglewood, California, founded by Beny Ashburn and Teo Hunter. The company produces a small core lineup of craft beers, namely The Dopest Hazy IPA (6.8% ABV), 8 Trill Pils (5% ABV, tied to racial-equity awareness), and Los Angeles Sun West Coast IPA (6.5% ABV), alongside a branded apparel line including tees, crewnecks, hoodies, and vintage collections anchored on slogans such as "Black People Love Beer" and "Brown People Love Beer." The technology stack is intentionally lean and commodity-based: a Shopify-powered DTC storefront for direct sales, PayPal for payment processing, and Google Analytics for site measurement, with no proprietary software, AI/ML capabilities, or app products disclosed.

The business model combines direct-to-consumer e-commerce, retail/wholesale distribution surfaced through a "Beer Locator" tool on the company website, and one-time apparel unit sales priced between $35 and $80. The customer base is segmented into craft beer enthusiasts and diversity-conscious consumers, with no enterprise or B2B contracts disclosed and no named distribution partners. Distribution is currently domestic-only (United States, with concentration in California). The company has monetized its mission-driven positioning through equity crowdfunding rather than traditional venture capital, raising approximately $475,000 via an SEC Form D filing in July 2021 and over $1 million (reported $1,049,481) on StartEngine in January 2022 at a $16.43 million pre-money valuation. Marketing relies primarily on earned media (Forbes, Los Angeles Times, NPR/Marketplace, Wine Enthusiast Future 40 2022, KPBS, Intuit QuickBooks) and organic social (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube), with no evidence of paid acquisition infrastructure or enterprise sales motion.

Name

Crowns & Hops

Legal name

Crowns & Hops Brewing Co.

Website

https://crownsandhops.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Crowns & Hops Brewing Co. is a Black-owned craft brewery and apparel brand based in Inglewood, California, selling three core beers (Hazy IPA, Pilsner, West Coast IPA) and mission-driven merchandise directly to consumers via Shopify and through retail locations surfaced by its Beer Locator tool.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Beer

NAICS

Breweries (31212)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082)

akta.pro primary industry

Beer Brewing & Brands (CRADAIAA)

Keywords

• Craft beer production
• Craft brewery
• Branded merchandise
• Direct-to-consumer e-commerce
• Diversity-focused beer

Headquarters

HQ city

Inglewood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Beer Sales: Direct sales of craft beers including The Dopest Hazy IPA, 8 Trill Pils, and Los Angeles Sun through the company's e-commerce platform and potentially through retail locations identified via the Beer Locator tool.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including t-shirts, crewneck sweaters, hoodies, and vintage collections with slogans like 'Black People Love Beer' and 'Brown People Love Beer'.
3. Crowdfunding Investment: The company raised over $1 million through a crowdfunding investment campaign offering shares at $5 each with a valuation of $16.43 million.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Crowns & Hops Brewing Co. is a Black-owned craft brewery based in Inglewood, California that produces and sells craft beer (including a Hazy IPA, Pilsner, and West Coast IPA) and branded apparel/merchandise celebrating Black and Brown culture in craft beer. Products are sold direct-to-consumer via a Shopify-powered online storefront and distributed through retail stores and restaurants located via the company's Beer Locator tool.

Product overview

Crowns & Hops Brewing Co. is a craft beer brewery based in Inglewood, California, focused on promoting diversity and inclusion in the craft beer industry. The company operates a dual product portfolio consisting of craft beers and branded merchandise. The beer lineup includes THE DOPEST HAZY IPA (a 6.8% ABV hazy IPA), 8 TRILL PILS (a 5% ABV pilsner supporting racial equity awareness), and LOS ANGELES SUN (a 6.5% ABV West Coast IPA). The merchandise line features apparel items including t-shirts, crewneck sweaters, hoodies, and vintage collections with branding that celebrates Black and Brown culture in craft beer.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Dopest Hazy IPA: A hazy IPA beer bursting with notes of citrus and sweet fruit balanced with mild woodiness and pine. Double dry hopped offering a smooth and creamy mouthfeel. ABV: 6.8%.
• 8 Trill Pils
• Los Angeles Sun

Products and services

• THE DOPEST HAZY IPA A Hazy IPA bursting with notes of citrus and sweet fruit balanced by mild woodiness and pine. Double dry hopped for a smooth, creamy mouthfeel. 6.8% ABV.
• 8 TRILL PILS A Pilsner brewed with Noble hops to raise awareness for racial equity in Healthcare, Education, Housing, Criminal Justice, Entrepreneurship, and Employment. 5% ABV.
• LOS ANGELES SUN A West Coast IPA capturing the bold sensation of California sunshine with a bright and clean taste featuring Simcoe and Nectaron hops. 6.5% ABV.
• BLACK People Love Beer Tee A t-shirt featuring the Black People Love Beer (BPLB) branding celebrating Black culture in craft beer. Priced at $35.
• BROWN People Love Beer Tee A t-shirt featuring the Brown People Love Beer branding celebrating Brown culture in craft beer. Priced at $35.
• BLACK People Love Beer Crewneck Sweater

Quantifiable outcome

• Featured in major publications including Los Angeles Times, Forbes, NPR, Wine Enthusiast (Future 40 2022)

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Harlem Brewing Company: Harlem Brewing Company is a Black-owned craft brewery with a similarly mission-driven brand identity centered on the Harlem community. It is a direct analog in terms of ownership profile, scale, and cultural positioning to Crowns & Hops.
• Athletic Brewing Company: Athletic Brewing is a fast-growing, mission-led craft brewer (non-alcoholic) that built a national brand via DTC and community. It is comparable in using purpose-driven branding and e-commerce to scale a craft beer portfolio nationally.
• Monday Night Brewing: Monday Night Brewing is an independent craft brewery with a taproom-led model and a strong community/brand identity. Comparable in scale and brand-led growth playbook to Crowns & Hops.
• Drake's Brewing Company: Drake's is a regional craft brewer with a portfolio of IPAs and pilsners and a similar product mix. Comparable as a craft competitor of similar regional scale.
• Two Roads Brewing Company: Two Roads is an independent craft brewery with a diverse portfolio and strong DTC/taproom presence. Comparable as a peer in scale, distribution approach, and craft beer category mix.

Broad incumbents

• Lagunitas Brewing Company: Lagunitas is an established craft brewery (now owned by Heineken) with national distribution across IPAs, pilsners and seasonal releases. Comparable as a craft beer competitor with broad US shelf presence that Crowns & Hops would compete with for taproom and retail placement.
• Stone Brewing: Stone Brewing is a large craft brewer known for IPAs and West Coast style beers, with deep national distribution. It is a comparable West Coast IPA competitor for shelf and on-premise accounts.
• New Belgium Brewing: New Belgium (owned by Kirin) is a national craft brewer with flagship IPAs and pilsners and a strong values-led brand. It benchmarks what a successful scaled craft brand looks like in terms of SKU breadth and distribution depth.
• SweetWater Brewing Company: SweetWater Brewing (owned by Tilray) is a craft brewery with national IPA-led distribution. Comparable as a craft beer incumbent competing for the same on-premise and retail accounts.
• Firestone Walker Brewing Company: Firestone Walker is a large, well-respected craft brewer with broad US distribution and a diverse IPA/pilsner lineup. Comparable as a craft incumbent benchmark for pricing, distribution and brand-building at scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/crownsandhops
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCdzB8F99yZIilm7_Nsbp6Ew
• Facebookfacebook.com/crownsandhops
• Instagraminstagram.com/crownsandhops

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Crowns & Hops