Wild Heaven Announces New Partnership to Invest in Atlanta's African-American Entrepreneurs

We’ve been thinking hard about how to live out our motto, Serve Your Neighbor and feel called to a higher level of engagement and service to our community. After discussions with many friends and leaders, especially from Atlanta’s African-American community, we’re ready to move.

Wild Heaven Beer Partners with Atlanta’s H.J. Russell Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Partnership to Invest in African-American Entrepreneurs in Atlanta

Wild Heaven Beer is proud to announce a new partnership with Atlanta’s Russell Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship. The purpose of the partnership is to use Wild Heaven’s platform as a local craft brewer to generate funding and other resources to support RCIE’s programs in an ongoing way. 

Wild Heaven founders Eric Johnson and Nick Purdy consider it important that their company, with a location in Atlanta’s West End in addition to their original Avondale Estates location, find a way to contribute in a meaningful and sustainable way to helping solve the issues of systemic racial injustice in Atlanta. The company was founded with the motto Serve Your Neighbor, and it is the hope of the entire Wild Heaven team to accomplish this in new ways with RCIE.

The partnership launches with the June 5th release of a new IPA called Silence Is Betrayal, honoring the still timely admonition from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. One hundred percent of the profits of the first edition of Silence Is Betrayal will be committed to the work of RCIE in addition to a portion of the proceeds from all subsequent production of the beer. 

Silence Is Betrayal New England IPA launches on draft Friday, June 5th at Wild Heaven’s West End location with cans following a week later on June 12th.

“I look forward to using our company’s voice and resources to offer time, space and amplification to the work RCIE is doing in Atlanta. Herman J. Russell was one of the great leaders and builders of Atlanta and we are honored to do anything we can to help perpetuate that legacy,” said Nick Purdy, Wild Heaven’s President. Wild Heaven Brewmaster Eric Johnson adds “We are thankful for the chance to take what we do and help others find their pathways to success, especially those for whom unjust systems make it all the more difficult."

RCIE President & CEO Jay Bailey said "The only way forward is through collaboration. Bringing the best of Atlanta’s business community together to provide the necessary access, opportunity, exposure and resources to help companies grow and thrive." 

WIld Heaven Beer is a Georgia company founded by lifelong Georgians, Eric Johnson and Nick Purdy. Offering beers inspired by the traditions of Europe and the innovation of America, Wild Heaven seeks to raise the profile of beer in the South. Wild Heaven distributes its beers, including Emergency Drinking Beer, ATL Easy Ale and Wise Blood IPA throughout Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina and Florida and operates taprooms at its two brewery locations in Atlanta’s Avondale Estates and West End neighborhoods.

The H. J. Russell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (RCIE) is Atlanta’s nexus for African American business owners and entrepreneurs, concentrating the best resources in the country for small business growth and development under one roof – a single destination for moving companies forward. In the heart of one of Atlanta’s Opportunity Zones –RCIE will house over 50,000 SF of affordable co-working, convening, meeting and maker space; along with a robust offering of educational, mentoring, networking, and capital resources; dedicated to inspiring ideas, creating jobs, scaling companies, and increasing wealth in the community.

Media Contact:
Chad Shearer
Caren West PR
404.614.0006
chadavid@carenwestpr.com