‘Sanamos Juntos’: New beer from Phoenix Latino brewery uplifts immigrant communities

On an early Friday afternoon, as craft beer-lovers quenched their thirst from the Valley’s 95-degree scorch typical of September, staff at Sana Sana Cerveceria, which sits at the heart of Phoenix’s Roosevelt Row, were busy getting ready for an event close to their hearts.

About 18 kegs of their newest batch of pilsner lager, dubbed Sanamos Juntos, were being prepped to be sold to the public, both on tap and in cans, at a fundraising event that symbolized the connection Daniel Castro and Johnny De Luna hold with their community — and one of the reasons why Sana Sana opened its doors in the first place.

“Sanamos Juntos is another opportunity to give back … A big inspiration for us is paying respects and homage to our ancestors — our grandmas and grandpas and tíos and tías who made sacrifices,” De Luna told CALÓ News. “We want to take that spirit, that fighting spirit, and give back in any way that we can, especially those who are underserved and taken advantage of by a very scary situation.”

That “scary situation” he referred to is the mass deportation machine that President Donald Trump set into motion the same day he returned to the White House, launching an operation that in just a few months has evolved into an all out racial profiling apparatus targeting individuals by the color of their skin, accent, preferred language and place of employment, courtesy of the the U.S. Supreme Court’s latest decision.

With the new beer, the co-owners are amplifying their support for the local immigrant community, donating a portion of their sales to Puente Human Rights Movement. “We are choosing to donate to Puente because we trust Puente. We’re aware of some of the previous work they have done, especially as ICE raids increased over the last few months,” De Luna said.

The Phoenix-based mutual aid and rapid response network started organizing the minute Trump was re-elected. By December, the Know Your Rights red cards that have symbolized the educational organizing against Trump’s mass deportation machine were being distributed widely by Puente and partners across Phoenix. By January, workshops for impacted community members and accompaniment training were being hosted at different locations across the city. The goal? Help those who would eventually become the target of the incoming president defend themselves, their loved ones and their community when ICE came knocking.

The organization has continued its bilingual efforts in keeping its community informed, running a hotline for ICE sightings (480-506-7437) in Valley cities, training community members to assist their immigrant neighbors when attending court hearings, offering healing spaces and distributing free meals every month.

With their first-ever canned beer, Sana Sana joins a long list of local businesses that, over the past few months, have held fundraising efforts in support of the organization.

“This is our first can that was ever released. It’s our first beer label, done by a local artist. We wanted it to be special,” De Luna said, as he pulled out a four-pack of canned Juntos Sanamos, developed in partnership with Bryan Soto, also known as Señor Foodie. 

The can proudly displays label art created by local artist Adrian Vigil, also known as A Bomb The Artist. Vigil paid homage to the city of Phoenix and its Chicano and Latino roots, showcasing emblematic fixtures and people — like the downtown skyline, street vendors and señoras walking alongside a lowrider that symbolized the importance of familia — in colorful, vibrant hues. Vigil also played a part in giving life to the interior of Sana Sana, covering the main wall inside the brewery with a mural of a Chicano couple cruising in a lowrider.

As they prepared for their event on Saturday, De Luna doubled down on a message the owners posted on Instagram back in June in support of immigrant communities amid rising enforcement activity across the country. The statement came weeks into elevated Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in metro Phoenix that have consisted of agents detaining people minutes after their immigration court cases were dismissed, ICE and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officers carrying out raids in Valley cities and federal agents raiding local businesses shops.

That time, they donated 3% of their sales to Puente. Now, they’re upping that amount to $5 per beer sold, on tap or in a can.

“I think that it takes a lot to say that you are going to take this stance. I think that when you do that, you are putting your foot down… through that, you could lose customers, lose money, especially with everything that’s going on right now, it’s so sensitive. So to see businesses being ok with that, that means a lot,” De Luna said.

Saturday’s event drew the participation of several local businesses, too, like La Hamburguesa and Estero Beach Tacos food trucks and A Bomb The Artist, committing to donate a percentage of their sales to Puente.

Since it opened its doors in March, the owners of Sana Sana have uplifted their Latino and Hispanic heritage. The artwork in and around the building highlights local artists like Lalo Cota, Tato Caraveo and Vigil. The music that blasts through the speakers is reminiscent of a Saturday afternoon strolling through a pueblo’s plaza, with banda regional mexicana constantly on loop. And the beer boasts flavors unique to Mexican cuisine — a blonde infused with poblano peppers, a seltzer akin to agua de jamaica and a line of Mexican lagers that would make any tío proud.

“We’re still trying to figure out things ourselves. Donating money is still kind of scary, but we still wanted to take that position and be at the forefront as an example,” Castro said.

“Giving money when we don’t have money” is a tough decision to make, De Luna added, but it all goes back to the sacrifice their ancestors made for them to be where they are. Opening a business in downtown Phoenix, where costs are rising month over month, is no joke. In the short time they’ve been open, they’ve attracted a loyal crowd and continue to build momentum through community events and a strong social media presence, but building a strong business operation remains in the works.

De Luna said they would continue to sell the beer beyond the weekend event until it ran out. 

“When we brew, we have to commit to brewing a lot of it,” he said, hence the roughly 18 kegs brewed, which can fill over 2,900 12-ounce cans. Whether or not they brew another batch soon is dependent on the community’s response, he added.