Spaceway is a nod to Afrofuturism; which seeks to imagine a future in which minorities who are scarcely represented in pop culture are depicted as leading characters. As in pop culture images of the future minorities are scarcely represented in the craft beer industry. Spaceway Brewing Company is unique in that its goal is to not only reinvent simple and full- flavored craft-brewed beer, but to create a sense of community through craft brewing education, innovation, activities/festivals, and community ownership, in addition to helping to change the industry’s approach toward inclusion of minorities.
Oral history interview with Briana Brake (2022)
Sun Ra, the musician and composer, has a song, We Travel the Spaceway ... Sun Ra is the father of Afro-futurism. Afro-futurism is about Black and Brown people seeing themselves as leaders in spaces where we're typically not seen as leaders. I was like, "Well, this industry, you don't typically see somebody that ... a Black woman in this space, actually owning and running the operation." So I was like, "Yeah, Spaceway."
Briana Brake is the owner and brewer at Spaceway Brewing Company, a minority-owned and woman-owned brewery located in the Rocky Mount Mills in Rocky Mount, NC.