Long Island Brewers Take Home Crushies from 2023 Craft Beer Marketing Awards (CBMAs)
On May 8, Long Island craft beer breweries took home five Crushie trophies in the 2023 Craft Beer Marketing Awards (CBMAs), and multiple winners plan to use the platform to help give back to those in need.
The CBMAs were created In 2019 by Long Island natives Jim McCune and Jackie DiBella to acknowledge the best marketing strategies in the brewing industry. The idea came to the two after attending beer-tasting events across the country. They realized that the events were only celebrating the taste of beer and not the other half, as McCune puts it, which is the people creating the logos, the names, the packaging, marketing, advertising, and branding. McCune and DiBella were surprised that no type of beer marketing awards existed.
“Jackie and I couldn’t believe it didn’t exist. We turned to each other and said, ‘Do you want to build this?’ and then we started from the ground up,” McCune said.
The CBMAs have been around for less than five years, but McCune and DiBella have already put the awards on the map in the brewing business. This year’s award ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee, saw more than 300 winners from across the globe. There were 622 professionals, including famous artists Ralph Steadman, Jon Contino, and David Carson, to help with the judging. This year’s awards also saw the addition of the new charity fundraiser category, “Show Us Your Favorite Tattoo,” which raised $6,000 to fund scholarships for minority groups trying to get into the brewing and distilling industry, said McCune.
The awards have grown in scale every year, and the expansion is helping to bring more awareness to the charities and foundations supported by the breweries.
McCune and DiBella partnered with Jen Borror from Hoot Design Studio in Shiloh, Pennsylvania, to create the award-winning beer, “Make Peace, Not War.” The beverage won a Gold Crushie in the Bigger Than Beer category for having one of the best cause-related beer campaigns. The can’s artwork is designed to raise awareness for the Russo-Ukrainian War, and the proceeds are sent to aid Ukrainians, said McCune.
The Westhampton Beach Brewing Company is another one of the Long Island Crushie winners giving back to the community.
The Company won a Gold Crushie in the Bigger Than Beer category for its Riptide IPA collaboration with the New York Riptide lacrosse team and the Boomer Esiason Foundation. Westhampton Beach Brewing Company owners Brian Sckipp and John Salvaggio work closely with the two organizations to develop fundraisers like their recent Riptide Run at the Westhampton Beach Spring Festival. In the first year of the run this past April, they had more than 160 participants. Sckipp believes this is just the beginning and that the event will continue to grow in years to come.
“The whole day is a festival with food and live music, and it’s just a great time. I think it will be a super spring event going forward,” said Sckipp.
In addition to the Riptide Run, Salvaggio is ready to get the ball rolling with new fundraisers as the brewery continues to take off.
“We are always open to events and giving back to certain organizations. We are always keeping our ears open,” said Salvaggio.
Other Long Island CMBA winners include Garvies Point Brewery in Glen Cove, which won a Platinum Crushie for Best Can Design with their Sea Spray IPA. DWS Printing & Packaging from Deer Park won a Global Crushie for Best Original Video/Storytelling for the Face to Face Coast to Coast campaign with Two Roads Brewing. The final Long Island Crushie winner was oyster farmer Keenan Boyle from Sayville. Boylen took home a Gold Crushie for Best Ingredients Collaboration on the Tallmuthashucka Oyster Stout. Congratulations to all the local winners.
