Mark Dunkerley '91

Mark Dunkerley ’91 is definitely having fun. Having founded Nashville’s Jubilee Craft Beer Company in March of 2010, Mark has the convivial job of introducing Jubilee Nut Brown Ale to restaurants and bar owners in the area. He often does creative promotions, like “Beer School,” which teaches people what goes into craft beer.

 

On the other hand Mark is totally serious about the product and its “flavor profile.” He explains, “A nut brown ale is a medium-bodied, easy drinking brown ale, and it’s called nut brown because the malt that’s used in it gives off a character that tastes nutty.”

 

With a B.A. from Vanderbilt, an M.B.A. from Arizona State University, and a background in sports marketing and fundraising, Mark traces his interest in craft beer to a visit to the Oregon Brewers Festival several years ago. He notes that craft beer is very different from mass-marketed, mega-brand beer. “Craft beer is every bit as interesting as wine,” he says. “And in fact you can pair a craft beer with more foods. Wine doesn’t stand up to spice the way beer does.”

 

The other thing Mark takes seriously is giving back to the community. Jubilee donates 50 percent of its profits to the Oasis Center, which provides a range of services and support for homeless and at-risk teens in Nashville. Mark says that tying his company to a local charity was part of the business plan from the start, and that the Oasis Center was just the kind of innovative organization he wanted to support.

 

In fact, there is a connection between his Harding experience and the Oasis Center. “At Harding you have such a nurturing environment of people at all times, and that’s something that I probably took for granted while I was there—having parents and teachers and coaches and this whole group of folks who are wanting you to succeed and caring about you,” says Mark. “A lot of people just don’t have that. And that’s what Oasis provides.”

 

Raising awareness and funds through beer is not only fun, it makes sense, says Mark. After all craft beer drinkers are generally 25 to 54 years of age, affluent, and educated—a perfect demographic from a philanthropic standpoint.

 

In the future, Mark would like to see if he can replicate the Jubilee model of “Good Beer for a Good Cause” in other cities with other charities. For now this creative and quirky entrepreneur is enjoying “taking this little brand and seeing where it can go.”