Wilmington N.C.- based brewery TRU Colors released its first brew: TRU Light. The product will hit shelves across the state by the end of October, with plans to distribute regionally in early 2022 and scale nationally by 2023, the company says.

Founded by innovators in the beer industry and rival gang leaders of the Bloods, Crips, GD and BD, TRU Colors, with its mission statement to unite communities to stop violence and divisiveness, created a sustainable business model that provides active gang members with economic opportunities, the company says.

In tandem with its first beer launch, TRU Colors is operating in its new 54,000 square-foot headquarters located in downtown Wilmington. In addition to the state-of-the-art production facility, the new headquarters provides wraparound services for its employees, as well as a taproom that will open to the public in early 2022, the company adds.

“We are a people-first company,” said Khalilah "KO" Olokunola, chief people officer of TRU Colors, in a statement. “That’s why throughout our building phase we listened to what our employees needed. Some of those things are physical, like a classroom or a gym, but others, like dealing with trauma or learning how to budget for a big expense are harder to see and work on. That’s why we’re unique at TRU Colors, we are here to help people and brew beer in that order.”

George Taylor, co-founder and CEO of TRU Colors, added: “This is our first step in showing what’s possible when people are open to change, and with TRU Light we hope to spark conversations with friends and family about how we can be there for each other in new and impactful ways.”

While the TRU Colors facility can produce as many as 200 cans a minute and is able to produce 1.4 million cases/equivalents annually, earlier this year, the company announced its strategic partnership with Molson Coors, and plans to expand to Virginia and D.C by early 2022 and distribute to all 50 states within its first 24 months of operation.

TRU Light is available in nearly 800 on- and off-premise locations across North Carolina. Each 12-ounce can has 4.2% ABV, 95 calories and 2.6 grams of carbohydrates.