An Australian brewery has bowed to pressure, changing its name after years of pressure to remove links to the country’s colonial past.
Western Australia’s Colonial Brewing Company announced on Wednesday it would be now known as CBCo Brewing, following an internal review.
The company came under pressure in June 2020 when Melbourne bottle shops, Blackhearts and Sparrows, vowed to stop selling its beer, stating the use of the word “colonial” was problematic.
In a statement on Wednesday, CBCo said the new name “aims to remove the divisive reference ‘Colonial’ while retaining a nod to its 18-year brand heritage in a manner more appropriate for today”.
It said the abbreviation was a “long-time internal moniker” for the company, and that its former name had referred to the original brewer who settled in the Margaret River wine region.
Managing director Lawrence Dowd admitted the old name had “become problematic”. He said the review, and subsequent name change, were also to support the brand’s growth.
“We recognise that the name Colonial Brewing Co no longer aligns with the respect we have for, and the value we place on the rich cultural traditions and talents of Indigenous people,” Mr Dowd said in a statement.
“Nor does it connect or reflect on who we are as a business and those who work here.
“To continue to take pride in our craft, our name is an important detail to get right.”
Mr Dowd said the company started work last month to remove the old name. It is expected to take up to 12 months for all mentions of Colonial to be changed, as retailers sell their remaining stock.
The new name will be used on all cans immediately, CBCo said.
The Margaret River brewery confirmed in 2020 — amid the Black Lives Matter movement and international push to remove monuments recognising colonial figures — it was reviewing its controversial name and acknowledged the “significant stress and angst surrounding the Black Lives Matter community”.
