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SB Podcast episode two: Equal Measures
In the second episode of The Spirits Business Podcast, Equal Measures founder Deano Moncrieffe discusses the importance of inclusivity in the hospitality industry.
Moncrieffe has worked across many roles in the hospitality and spirits industry. Today, he is best known for founding agaveria Hacha in London, home of the award-winning bottled cocktail brand Mirror Margarita.
In 2020, Moncrieffe launched Equal Measures – which was the core focus of episode two of The Spirits Business Podcast. Equal Measures aims to change the conversation about ethnicity in the hospitality and spirits industry.
“Sometimes you can feel like you are not part of the group and not part of the community,” Moncrieffe said. “I’ve mentioned how important community is in the workplace and how important it is in a social environment as well.
“If you don’t feel welcome somewhere, it’s so demoralising. It can really affect you in many ways outside of your work as well.”
Since Equal Measures launched in 2020, it has supported 90 beneficiaries from marginalised and underrepresented backgrounds with high-level, fully funded industry-relevant qualifications and training, including WSET Levels 1, 2 and 3 in spirits.
Furthermore, Equal Measures has educated more than 600 members of the trade with EDI (equality, diversity and inclusivity) training, seminars, workshops, policies and consultancy. In 2023, Equal Measures saw its beneficiary pool grow by 288%, as demand for its services increased.
“There is a feeling that everything is OK, everything’s great,” Moncrieffe continued. “We’ve had that moment of Black Lives Matter and now we don’t need to do anything else because we all supported it a couple of years ago; everything’s fine. But it’s not.”
The Spirits Business Podcast is available to listen to on most major streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon. Alternatively, click the play button below to listen to episode two with Moncrieffe.
The first episode of the podcast featured actors Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley, co-founders of Brothers’ Bond Bourbon.