More than two years after it was called out for promoting the colonisation of Australia, Colonial Beer Company has changed its name.
Per The Crafty Pint, the independent Western Australian brewery rebranded to CBCo after extensive consultation with staff, stakeholders and Indigenous representatives.
The name change comes after the brewery copped heat from customers in June 2020 — shortly after the Black Lives Matter protests around Australia — about using the term “colonial”. This backlash saw CBCo’s range dropped from boutique liquor store chain Blackhearts & Sparrows.
On June 15 2020, CBCo’s managing director Lawrence Dowd said the beer brand had been undertaking a review process of the company’s name over the previous six months. It was something that was “extremely important” and a process they “haven’t approached lightly”.
Two years later and the name change has been rolled out, effective immediately.
“We feel very confident that it’s the right move and right evolution of the business,” Lawrence told The Crafty Pint.
“It had been — I shouldn’t use this word because it sounds ridiculous — brewing for a while anyway before it was brought out in the media.”
Lawrence noted the company didn’t want it to be a “knee jerk” reaction and was determined to make the change “in a balanced and considered way”.
Changing the brewery’s name to CBCo felt right and Lawrence said the long-time nickname allows the brand to keep a connection to its 18-year history in Australia’s independent beer scene.
Blackhearts & Sparrows are yet to confirm whether it will restock the CBCo range following the name change. PEDESTRIAN.TV has reached out to the Blackhearts team for comment.
