By Tumay Aslay
Virginia Morrison, CEO and co-founder of Second Chance Beer Company, has been a leading superstar in the craft beer brewing industry since 2015. Originally from Ohio, Morrison started her career as a successful lawyer who would never have dreamed of owning a brewery. She started out her passion for beer making in her early 20’s as a homebrewer before establishing herself as a professional SoCal craft beer brewer in San Diego.
With two San Diego locations, Second Chance Beer has made a name for itself in what is still a predominantly white male-dominated industry. More and more women are breaking through the gender-biased wall of craft beer making, beginning to open the doors for further diversification. As a profession that prides itself on its innovation and creativity, female minds are finally being welcomed the way they always should have been.
Seismic Sisters had a chance to speak with Virginia Morrison about her social justice advocacy, her mission, and what it takes to break into the industry as a female brewer.
Photo provided by SCBC
Can you tell us a little about Second Chance Beer and the sort of beer you brew?
At Second Chance Beer Company, we are proud to make world-class, award-winning beer. While beer is our passion, our purpose is much greater. Second Chance Beer Company’s mission is to give people, planet, and pups a second chance. For us, it starts with the people. We strive to build an all-inclusive community for all who enjoy drinking our beer.
For the planet, we do business sustainably. Our spent grain (what's leftover after the beer making process) feeds dairy cows at a local farm and over 90% of the décor in our San Diego tasting rooms is upcycled, recycled, and repurposed. Through our hard seltzer line, Slim Chance, we partner with Orange County’s only organic farm to source seasonal ingredients. Then, we pay it forward through 1% for the Planet by donating to the farm’s educational programs that teach kids to grow, eat, and live healthy with food.
We are also lovers of all dogs here at Second Chance Brewery. Citra and Chinook can be found frolicking in and around the brew house all hours of the day. We provide pet insurance at no cost to employees and our tasting rooms are always pet friendly.
Photo provided by SCBC
Which beer in your selection is your favorite? Is there a story to go along with it?
Fistful of Gummies Fruited Sour is my current favorite springtime beer. It’s also one of my all-time favorites because I developed the recipe by pestering my co-founding husband and our Brewmaster, Marty, to infuse our award-winning Slightly Sour German-style sour with Sour Patch Kids. I convinced him to do it for a festival, and once he saw how popular it was, we set out to make the beer with about 40lbs per barrel of candy. We did it, and it still tastes like sour candy. Win-win!
T.H.I.R.S.T.Y. is not just a craving for beer at your brewery, but an acronym for your mission and values. Can you tell us about how SCBC began championing this message and how it is integral to how you create/advocate?
T.H.I.R.S.T.Y. is who we are as people, and the kind of people we want enjoying our beers and tasting rooms. It’s an attitude, a perspective on life, love, community, and work. T.H.I.R.S.T.Y. unites and drives us to give people, planet and pups a second chance through our good fortune as world-class, award-winning craft beer makers.
What inspired you to make philanthropy a pillar in your business and which organizations do you work with?
My purpose in life is to be of service – to others and causes greater than my own. At Second Chance Beer Company, we were founded on giving people, planet and pups a second chance. We do that through partnerships with organizations such as the San Diego Food Bank, ACLU San Diego, Stonewall Citizens Patrol San Diego, Second Chance Dog Rescue, Animal Pad, Pinks Boots Society, and 1% for the Planet.
Virginia Morrison, CEO and co-founder of Second Chance Beer Company. Photo provided by SCBC
Can you offer some advice to women hoping to make their way in a predominantly male dominated industry?
Find women in craft beer you admire and respect and ask for their help. I know it sounds cliché and maybe even too easy, but in all my careers, I’ve never met or worked with such a supportive and passionate community of women as Pinks Boots Society. Don’t know where to start? Find your local chapter and attend a meeting.
The beer making world has been witnessing the rise of female beer makers. To check out what Second Chance Beer is all about, get to know their products and mission, visit their website at https://www.secondchancebeer.com