Celebrating Women's History Month
Of course here at Bitter Pops we love to celebrate the incredible women of the craft world all year round - but to commemorate Women’s History Month we are taking the time to truly highlight the amazing individuals that help us bring you the ultimate craft experience. All month long, co-founder and general manager of Bitter Pops, Megan Schneider Gil, will be conducting fun, conversational interviews with other notable women of the industry including: brand founders and representatives, distillers, and wine makers. Follow along via *Instagram* and *YouTube* to learn about what these engaging women are doing for our industry, hear their stories of struggle and triumph, and share lots of laughs as all of our favorite ladies discuss all of our favorite things: Craft Booze!
Upcoming Events
IG Lives
IG Live w/Jen Pelka, March 9th, 6 PM
Jen Pelka is the Co-Founder of Une Femme Wines, a new line of Champagne & sparkling wines made by female winemakers and supporting women-focused charitable organizations. Jen was formerly the Founder of The Riddler, the popular all-women funded champagne bar with locations in San Francisco and New York, named "Wine Bar of the Year" by Eater. Jen’s career in restaurants began at Chef Daniel Boulud’s iconic New York Restaurant DANIEL, where she served for 5 years across a broad range of roles - kitchen stagier, Boulud’s Research Assistant, and eventually as the US Competition Director for the Bocuse d’Or under Daniel Boulud and Thomas Keller. She went on to lead influencer marketing, content strategy, and media relations in-house at OpenTable, Gilt Taste, and Tumblr. Jen has been named Forbes “30 Under 30” for Food & Wine, Details “Digital Maverick”, and a Cherry Bombe “It Girl.” She was a recurring guest as a secret diner on Season 1 of Bravo TV’s “Best New Restaurant”, and a guest on Season 6 of “Top Chef.” Jen won an IACP Award Winner for Best Culinary or Brand Site in 2012, and was a James Beard Award nominee for Best Food Coverage in a Food Publication. She is an alumna of Stanford University and the London School of Economics.
IG Live w/Julie Pappas March 10th, 6 PM
Julie Pappas, Director of Marketing and Sales at Luna Bay Booch, has been at the forefront of this team of women passionate about wellness, adventure, community, and fun. Hear her story and how they are driven to make a change in the alcohol industry.
Luna Bay was born out of a desire to make a change in the alcohol industry – to brew something better for ourselves, our minds, our planet. From that desire, we created a naturally brewed hard kombucha with wholesome, ethically sourced ingredients.
Luna Bay was started by a team of women passionate about wellness, adventure, community and fun – and we plan to spread those values through simple, honest, boozy booch. We were the first of its kind to be produced and distributed in Chicago. And now we are proudly on shelf coast-to-coast. All products are gluten free, low in sugar, vegan and naturally fermented to 6% for a boozy bite.
Women In Craft Interviews
Michelle Foik from Eris
Michelle has specialized in the craft beverage industry in Chicago and Michigan for the last 20 years and now she’s taken that passion for the industry to another level - the Force of Nature behind ERIS Brewery and Cider House, the first all-female owned brewery in Chicago. Megan interviews her as she talks about Eris, it’s origin, and the amazing products they have available in the Chicago Market.
Ginna Haravon from The Chefs’ Warehouse
I consider myself incredibly lucky to have built a 20 year career on what I am most passionate about...food. The path was not a straight one which makes me most proud. It weaved around allowing me to discover so many areas of the food industry that are exciting, challenging, satisfying and often unexpected. I have been able to share my love of the process with students, clients and peers which has made my desire to continue my career path in the food community so strong. Whether as a line cook, teacher, entrepreneur or now in sales with The Chefs’ Warehouse, my goal has been to use my food knowledge, customer service skills to initiate positive change and be a part of innovation.
Jaime Duffy from The Collective by Thoroughbred Spirits
Jamie Duffy is an active member in the craft spirits community. She is the Regional Manager for the Collective by Thoroughbred - a curated craft spirits portfolio that is responsible for sales and marketing. She also consults for Thoroughbred Spirits on clients' Go-To-Market strategies. In 2019, she became the Co-Producer for Chicago Independent Spirits Expo.
