DUTCH BROS
EQUITY & INCLUSIVITY
KEY INGREDIENTS FOR A SUCCESSFUL INTERNAL CULTURE
“Love all, serve all,” is a creed that is taken to heart at Dutch Bros. Equity in representation and voice are paramount to their leadership and the entire organization.
In 2020, our country witnessed an awakening of awareness around racial inequality. Empathetic and compassionate brands began to look at their own internal cultures and explored ways to create a safe and open environment for all. This included Dutch Bros, who wanted to deeply examine and challenge the ways the company’s values were being lived and see how they could do better.
Challenge:
Solution:
Create an open and ongoing dialogue about issues of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Dutch Bros, we developed a bi-monthly show to be broadcast on Dutch Bros U (DBU), an internal Dutch Bros channel. Taking cues from Lebron James’ “The Shop,” the show was a casual conversation between Dutch Bros leaders and employee representatives from throughout the company.
For Black History Month, CEO Joth Ricci sat down with Black employees from every area of the company from the corporate office employees to baristas. They discussed and debated stereotypes, upward mobility, comfort, pay scale and more. These conversations were held in a safe place, assisted by a moderator and Dutch Bros was committed to taking action to address concerns and continue building an equitable workplace.
This model was replicated with other groups in the company. A panel of women was brought together for Women’s History Month, a panel for Pride Month, a panel of Latinx employees during Heritage Month, and so on. Each episode of the show fostered authentic communication and in one case it resulted in an employee promotion because of the visibility the show created for leaders and the bright minds among their ranks.
While the world still has much progress to be made in areas of diversity, equity and inclusion, joyful believes that it is through open and authentic dialogue and open minds that these values can flourish.
Results:
The true results of this ongoing campaign will be seen in the years to come, however the goal of reaching out to thousands of Dutch Bros employees and listening to their concerns was a great first step. In matters of diversity, equity, and inclusion, you’ll often hear how important it is to authentically “do the work.” We are committed to continuing to do just that with Dutch Bros and any partner who wants to roll up their sleeves and do the same.
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joyful helps our employees feel seen and heard. And they do it in the most real, authentic and cinematic way imaginable.
~ Daniel Jeremiah
VP Internal Employee Brand, Dutch Bros