Whiskey Acres has expanded into producing liquid hand sanitizer under the emergency authorization from the TTB and FDA. Initially, their goal was to produce and donate enough to help provide for their local healthcare workers and first responders.
Whiskey Acres owners Jamie Walter Class of ’08 and Nick Nagele Class of ’14 report the first week they produced 150 gallons of sanitizer. They quickly discovered the need was much higher than realized. In a matter of 3 weeks, they have now scaled up to produce in excess of 1,000 gallons/day — mostly bottled by their all-female packaging crew.
While they still prioritize their local community needs, they have expanded to supply a number of commercial and institutional accounts such as United Airlines, ComEd, and even the United States Secret Service. These customers have allowed Whiskey Acres to keep their employees on the payroll. They are replacing the lost revenue that they have experienced due to reductions in their regular beverage alcohol and tourism sales.
Walter and Nagele feel fortunate to have been able to pivot in such a way and are now trying to expand their ability to give back to those in need by the sale of the “Women of Whiskey Acres t-shirts.”
Initially, their goal was to raise $1,500 to purchase meals from their local restaurant partners to help feed their community’s healthcare workers. They met that goal by selling over 150 shirts in less than 24 hours. Now they are attempting to scale that effort regionally and help provide food to individuals in need through additional t-shirt sales benefitting the Northern Illinois Food Bank. Walter reports they hope to kick that campaign off in the next couple of days.
For those wishing to support this campaign, they can do so by visiting :
