Karen Tierney, Senior Commercial Analyst for KegstarSmart stainless steel keg rental company Kegstar has pledged to donate to the Pink Boots Society – a global not-for-profit organisation that supports the careers of women in the beer and fermentation industries.

The Australia chapter of the Pink Boots Society will receive a financial donation each time a Kegstar keg is scanned in Australia and New Zealand, both when leaving full from a brewery and when empty and ready for collection at a hospitality venue.

Kegstar will donate 2 cents (AU$) every time one of its keg’s unique 2D matrix codes is scanned via the mobile app used by the firm’s customers down under.

Pink Boots, which assists, inspires and encourages women to advance their fermentation related careers, will use the money to fund educational resources or scholarships for their members in both Australia and New Zealand.

Since its foundation in 2012, Kegstar has clocked up over seven million keg scans in Australia and New Zealand, and more than 22.5 million globally.

The “cents per scan” pledge for Pink Boots Australia follows similar initiatives already running in Kegstar’s UK & Ireland and Netherlands territories. Their “do two lots of good” scheme supports The Drinks Trust charity and the Beer Geeks Beat ALS campaign respectively.

Karen Tierney, Kegstar’s senior commercial analyst in Australia and New Zealand and a treasurer for Pink Boots, said: “It’s fantastic to be among a growing number of women in this industry, who are all so passionate about what they do, and who really want to see each other succeed.

“Pink Boots does an exceptional job in supporting and encouraging women from all backgrounds to take up leadership roles in brewing. The cause has become close to the hearts of the entire team at Kegstar, which is why we’re delighted to be able to play a small part in helping this great work.”

She added that Kegstar customers in the ANZ region could now scan their kegs in the knowledge that, each time they do, they are helping to promote a very worthy campaign.

Karen, one of numerous Kegstar employees worldwide who are active members of Pink Boots, works alongside the not-for-profit organisation’s newly elected Australia president Tiffany Waldron when wearing her Pink Boots hat.

Tiffany said: “Women have so much to offer the brewing industry, in all kinds of disciplines, so we’re thrilled that Kegstar has recognised the work that we’re doing.

“We will continue to do everything we possibly can to provide education, inspiration and encouragement to help women step up in our industry. Kegstar’s ‘cents per scan’ initiative is an invaluable contribution to our mission.”

Kegstar recently announced the gradual roll-out of a new generation of smart kegs under the Project Starlight banner. These new kegs contain advanced tracking devices that remove the need for manual scanning. But, in order to maximise donations to Pink Boots, Kegstar will be including brewers and venue owners’ scans on these kegs.

“Every dollar we raise helps to support women in the industry, enabling them to develop to their full potential,” said Karen. “And as Kegstar continues to grow, it looks forward to growing alongside Pink Boots Australia, and continuing to support the great work they do for women in the beer industry.”