Emily Comeau, a second-year KPU brewing student, has won the first annual Nancy More Award – More became the first North American female brewmaster in 1985 – presented by the BC Hospitality Foundation and BC Craft Brewers Guild.

More has been a KPU instructor for six years and helped create the Brewing and Brewery Operations program. She also has a long history of recognition for her achievements, including receiving the Legend Award at the BC Beer Awards.

“Knowing it was coming from one of the instructors who taught me, [it] was quite an honour…a lot of power from this reward is what Nancy did. It’s important that we honour that,” says Comeau.

“This reward is a start to get more women in the program and industry.”

Comeau plans on working at her current job at Mariner Brewing full-time and continuing to learn new skills once she finishes her schooling at the end of this year. 

“We’re really lucky at [KPU] to have this award Emily will get…we’re trying to use these as ways to encourage people from diverse backgrounds to come into the industry because we need more people,” she says.

“When I started, I don’t think I really understood what I was coming up against. I was just persistent and stubborn enough that I wanted to show people I could do this,” says More who has faced several challenges in this industry along the way.

“We have more representation coming in, but we need more. I’d love to see more women coming into the industry.”