The HBCU link up we didn’t know we needed.
In 2018, three HBCU graduates, Kevin Bradford (Hampton University), Kim Harris (Clark Atlanta University), and Stacey Lee Spratt (Clark Atlanta University), teamed up to open Harlem Hops, the first 100% Black-owned craft beer bar in Harlem, New York. Seeking to provide the quality craft beer they desperately desired in their Harlem neighborhood, the founders relied on their HBCU roots to bring their dreams to fruition.
“I think HBCUs taught us about humility, taught us about drive and it’s also very nurturing attending an HBCU. They have the mentality that you can do anything that you want to do. This started out as a dream with no money, no dollars, and here we are about to open the first 100 percent all-African-American-owned craft beer bar in Harlem. If you don’t have the money, find a way or make one,” Lee Spratt previously told reporters.
Now, Harlem Hops is coming to the ATL, teaming up with another HBCU-owned business, Dough Boy Pizza, to bring the popular Harlem brewery to the South’s Black Mecca, Yahoo! reports. The pizza eatery is known for its thin-crust Neapolitan-style pizzas with traditional and nontraditional toppings ranging from pepperoni to short ribs and crawfish. The company has two other locations in Decatur, Georgia, and Mobile, Alabama. Founder Erica Barrett said in addition to their delicious pizza, they’re also a tech-forward company that helps control labor and food costs.
“This concept is perfect for millennials who want to grab their pizza and go – we wanted to build a restaurant of the future,” said Barrett.
Now, Dough Boy Pizza and Harlem Hops have teamed up for a new location, which will open on September 22nd at the Lee + White Food Hall in Atlanta. Owners Kim Harris, Danielle Scarborough, Lee Pratt, and Dalen Spratt have dubbed themselves The CAU Collective, prioritizing the uplifting of other small businesses in their new endeavor.
“Not only will customers enjoy freshly-made, authentic, Neapolitan-style pizza, but they’ll also have the opportunity to pair it with some of our in-house signature brews. Many of the beers at Dough Boy Pizza x Harlem Hops will be made by local, small-batch, family-owned businesses, and in some cases, by people of color,” the collective said.
In addition to the new location, Harlem Hops has also announced scholarship programs for HBCU students through its Harlem Hopes nonprofit. For more information, visit HarlemHops.com and DoughBoyPizza.co.
Cover photo: HBCU Grads Bring Manhattan’s First Black Craft Beer Bar, Harlem Hops, to Atlanta/Photo credit: Stacey Lee Spratt/Instagram