Local man says he hopes to open the first black-owned brewery in Chesapeake

Posted: Jul 7, 2020 / 08:19 PM EDT / Updated: Jul 7, 2020 / 11:13 PM EDT

CHESAPEAKE, Va (WAVY) — A Chesapeake man is dreaming big. He wants to turn his hobby into a business. He wants to break barriers and open what he says would be the first black-owned brewery in Chesapeake.

Every single one of the beers has been brewed right in Julian Durden’s home.

But he hopes, one day, people will be able to see the beers on tap at his own brewery. He says it’s a dream and necessity for his community.

Durden brews craft beer right in his own home.

“I always thought that you couldn’t make good beer at home and I tried it and was just completely sold,” he explained.

He’s created his own brand “Precise Pints” and flavors. He showed 10 On Your Side’s Tamara Scott his process Tuesday.

He even joined a local brew club but noticed the majority of his club members and craft breweries, in general, didn’t look like him.

“You’re talking about 26 percent of the rest of the population making or drinking craft beer is made up of minorities,” he said.

“In my home brew club, as far as I know, I’m the only black guy,” he said.

So, he wants to make the first black-owned brewery in Chesapeake.

“For me it’s not about getting rich. It’s not about just having customers. It’s not about greed or anything like that, it’s about just [wanting] to share what I enjoy, what I’m capable of, with everybody, to where everybody feels welcome. Everybody feels at home,” he explained.

He wants the business to be a place where they can bridge the gap and create a safe space to enjoy a pint.

“For the black community and minorities in general, it would be highly supported and highly encouraged,” he said.

“I think it would be very inspirational because it’s always good to see people that look like you that are doing something positive,” he added.

And he hopes with donations solely from the community, he can make it happen in the next year.

“I want this to be a part of the community. So, to me, there is nothing more that would be rewarding than to have this built by the community,” he said.

If you’d like to help him with his dream in creating this business, he has a GoFundMe account. Click here to visit the GoFundMe.

Or, you can email him at ppbrewingco@gmail.com.