Indianz.Com > News > Gaylord News: Native-owned brewery overcomes challenges amid COVID-19
Native-owned SkyDance Brewing moving to its own location
Thursday, May 13, 2021
Gaylord News
Oklahoma’s first Native American-owned brewing company, inspired by the recipes of the owner’s father, will open an independent location this summer.
Jacob Keyes, a member of the Iowa Nation, opened SkyDance Brewing Co. in 2018 in honor of his father. Since then, the brewery has been operating out of a co-op – a single location where multiple companies use the same equipment – in Oklahoma City. The new taproom and brewery are under construction in the historic Automobile Alley north of downtown.
SkyDance produces five brews, along with a few seasonal beers, such as Sovereign Nation, inspired by the United States’ recognition of tribes as sovereign nations. The beer is distributed to gas stations and small bars in the Oklahoma City area.
The chamber assisted businesses with 25 or fewer employees, and a majority of owners were racial minorities. “Moving the city forward through small businesses is what we want to do here,” said Harve Allen, public relations manager for the Chamber of Commerce. “It’s the key to success.” Native American-owned businesses and tribes have provided a significant amount of economic activity in Oklahoma in the past several years, according to an Oklahoma City University study. In 2018, tribes provided $12.9 billion in goods and services to Oklahoma. Native American-owned businesses provide 96,177 jobs in Oklahoma, according to the National Congress of American Indians.
Keyes said most of his support has come from Native American resources. “I got a loan from the Bureau of Indian Affairs long before I could get a federal or state loan,” he said. “All the other loans I applied for were put on hold, but this one came quickly and helped the most.” Despite the challenges faced over the past year by all businesses, Keyes is excited for the future. “When we open this new location, we’ll have a showroom for Native American art. A lot of our beers will be named after (Native American) dances, too. This is our chance to teach people
about our culture.” For more stories from Cronkite News, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org.
Gaylord News is a reporting project of the University of Oklahoma Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Cronkite News has partnered with OU to expand coverage of Indigenous communities.
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