Birmingham's Marverine Cole named Beverage Professional of the Year

Birmingham's Marverine Cole has been named Beverage Professional of the Year at the Be Inclusive Hospitality Spotlight Awards, which celebrate Black and ethnic minority talent in UK hospitality.

Cole is an award-winning beer writer, journalist and broadcaster, and one of the UK's first accredited female beer sommeliers. She is the resident beer and drinks expert on ITV's Sunday morning programme Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh, helping to bring beer to mainstream television audiences, and is also known as a broadcaster and newsreader.

The awards

The fifth annual awards were held at Quaglino's in London on Monday 12 October, bringing together about 300 people from the industry. Winners were named in 16 categories, covering chefs, restaurants, pubs, drinks professionals, brands, cuisines, people leaders and writers. This year's 60 finalists came from seven regions of the UK and represented more than ten cuisines.

The Spotlight Icon Award went to the late chef Dominic Taylor, who died earlier this year, in honour of his contribution to Caribbean fine dining. It was presented to his family by the entrepreneur and chef Levi Roots.

"Recognition and visibility matter more than ever"

Lorraine Copes, founder and chief executive of Be Inclusive Hospitality, said: "Recognition and visibility for deserving people and businesses matter more than ever. Hospitality is a tough industry to navigate, and my hope is that these awards continue to give our finalists the encouragement and momentum to keep moving forward."

Laure Bornet, of the restaurant booking platform OpenTable, which sponsors the awards, said: "Five years in, these awards keep proving a crucial point: hospitality's future is as diverse as it is talented."

About Be Inclusive Hospitality

Be Inclusive Hospitality is a not-for-profit social enterprise founded by Copes in 2020 to tackle the under-representation of ethnic minority talent in leadership roles and across the hospitality supply chain. It supports a community of more than 1,000 hospitality professionals across the UK.

A champion for diversity in beer

Cole has long campaigned for a more diverse drinks industry, which has traditionally been dominated by white men, particularly in beer. Her work as a writer and presenter has helped open up the world of brewing to new audiences, including women and people from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Birmingham has a thriving independent brewing scene, with breweries and taprooms across the city, from Digbeth to Stirchley, and a growing number of bars specialising in craft beer. Recognition for one of the city's best-known voices on beer is a boost for that scene too.

The People's Choice awards were decided by a public vote, while the other winners were chosen by an independent panel of leading hospitality figures.