

In fact, the building that this independent distillery now calls home was originally a single screen, first run movie house and local landmark called the Old Smyrna Theater. Ron and Painted Stave Distilling have been community focused from the very beginning. It took nearly two years for Ron to explore potential investors and firm up a business plan, but in 2011, he and his business partner were finally able to make Painted Stave Distillery a reality. In a previous life, before co-founding Painted Stave Distilling, Ron Gomes was a popular assistant professor of orthopedics at Penn State University. Painted Stave Distilling | Smyrna, Delaware Rising Sun Distillery uses methods that have existed for thousands of years, letting their craft spirits ferment naturally to create bottles brimming with taste, tradition and plenty of TLC. Homespun recipes use ingredients like peaches, lavender, chile and grains that come from nearby farms. Their philosophy has always been to make a high quality product, support their local community, and to have fun. So in the early days of Rising Sun Distillery, it was Sol who took on the responsibilities of head distiller. He’s the great grandson of bootleggers that ran stills in the Midwest during prohibition.
#Black owned distilleries software#
It was the brainchild of Sol Richardson and his wife Dawn, who set up shop in Denver back in 2013.Ī software developer by Trade, Sol was born with distilling in blood. Rising Sun Distillery is just one of two certified organic distilleries in the state of Colorado. And their vodka is distilled six times in total to deliver a super smooth craft spirit that Toast Vodka assures us can be, “Enjoyed neat, chilled, in basic cocktails or craft cocktails.” Rising Sun Distillery | Denver, Colorado They use coconut water as a part of their process. It took DJ and his team at Toast Vodka four years to create what they call, “the world’s best and tastiest vodka”. “The brand name itself is an homage to life.” “I came up with the Toast slogan, ‘To Life, to Love, to Us,’ as a constant reminder of what life is all about,” DJ tells us. “I know that my journey can possibly be more difficult, so I set my mind to always outperform my previous success.”Īlready an established entrepreneur and restaurateur, DJ set his sights on the world of craft spirits and independent distilleries as his next big business venture. “As a black male entrepreneur, I find it important to do your best and work hard,” explains DJ. To share the stories behind the bottles and introduce the personalities that bring them to life.ĭieuveny “DJ” Louis was only ten years old when his family migrated to West Palm Beach, Florida from Haiti.įrom a young age, his involvement with music led to success in the local nightlife and live performance scene.īy age 21, DJ had relocated to Miami where he found huge success starting his own event/concert management company.

Today we shine a light on our black-owned distillery and brand partners. And why being part of it is so fulfilling.īecause among our community, diversity is every bit as essential as the clean water, fresh grains, and ripe fruit it takes to shape the craft vodkas and small batch cocktail bitters we can’t get enough of.Īs we continue to dismantle stereotypes across the country and around the world, it becomes increasingly important to recognize and raise up the many unique voices that make up the backbone of the craft movements and our community of creators. That is what makes our craft community so vibrant. Each one wholly unique, save for that single throughline of passion. Look beyond any bottle in our collection, and you will find a different story. The call to create does not discriminate. The most beautiful, endearing quality of the craft movement is that it The craft movement is made of a diverse community of creators, all lovingly pursuing a common goal.
