International Women's Collaboration Brew Day
International Women's Collaboration Brew Day is an annual event which takes place each year on International Women's Day (8 March). First taking place in 2014, the event sees women brewers around the world brew the same beer, with all proceeds being donated to charity. It was established by British brewer Sophie de Ronde with the intention of helping to raise awareness of women in the brewing industry, especially as beer brewmasters. It is also a chance for women interested in brewing to network with one another. History. The idea for the IWCBD  came from Project Venus member, Sophie de Ronde, who reached out to the Pink Boots Society in 2013 to start a "unified brew day." De Ronde wanted the day "to encourage women to brew together." The day was meant to coincide with International Women's Day and would "raise awareness of women in the brewing industry and raise money for local charities and Pink Boots Society." Brewing beer is a male-dominated industry and is "still struggling with sexism and gender bias." Another participant said, "I'd like to normalize the idea that women can and do work in the  brewhouse along with other departments in a brewery." The first year, 2014, over 60 women in five different countries brewed a pale ale called Unite. In 2015, there were 80 women from eleven different countries involved who worked together to brew Unite red ale. In South Africa, Apiwe Nxusani-Mawela, helped organize the first IWCBD event in Johannesburg. For 2016, the type of beer brewed was a gose. By 2018, the number of participanting breweries had increased to 126.