Over a period of 48 hours, Squamish's Kelly Ann Woods has pivoted her liquor and spirits business to address the current demand for cleaning supplies and hand sanitizer.
Woods, co-founder of Gillespie's Fine Spirits, got the official OK from the British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch (BCLDB) on Friday to begin producing ethanol-based cleaning products that are in such short supply during this COVID-19 pandemic.
“The BCLDB basically sent a directive that gave permission to craft commercial distilleries to produce hand sanitizer,” she told The Chief.
Because she had been forced to shut down her popular distillery due to COVID-19 restrictions and had laid off her staff, this was a pivot she was hoping to make.
“I was watching a lot of my colleagues across the country and in the United States and they were producing it. But the thing is, it [was] illegal, technically,” she said, noting that companies aren’t allowed to produce a product not approved by the board.
Now that she has gotten the official nod, production is in full swing with co-founder John McLellan distilling away.
“What we are doing is basically turning our whole production onto making liquor, which comes off the still at 90% and then what we do is proof it down to 65%. At 65%, that is what the World Health Organization recommends for sanitization and for hand sanitizer.”
The Squamish company is going to produce the product “Squirt” for spray bottles to use to clean surfaces and as a hand sanitizer.
“The hand sanitizer is very simple. It is basically the ethanol, at 65%, plus aloe, plus tea tree oil,” she said.
She said the result is a very strong cleaner.
The Squamish RCMP has already picked up “a ton of it” to fill all of their spray bottles to clean their police vehicles and other surfaces, she said.
Woods also plans on donating some to help out those on the Downtown Eastside in Vancouver.
A challenge for Woods has been accessing things like spray bottles and other types of packaging.
“This whole thing is affecting global supply chains,” she noted.
Thus, Woods asks that Sea to Sky residents save up their spray bottles and the like so they can be used for the products.
Woods acknowledges this is all still very recent and she doesn’t have everything figured out.
She asks that locals watch the Gillespie's Fine Spirits Facebook and Instagram pages for further announcements in the coming days.
What she knows so far is that the product will be primarily available outside at Gillespie's Fine Spirits in the Squamish Business Park, for pickups only. Purchases will be done as pre-orders through the company’s social media sites.
“We will have to make it really safe and organized,” Woods said.
The product will be available for purchase in bulk form, and in smaller containers.
“We are trying to make sure there’s a way that whatever bottles people are bringing get sanitized,” she said, adding there will likely be sanitize and filling stations.
“It is going to take some effort, but we are going to figure it out.”
Woods said she has no idea how long the demand for such cleaning supplies will last, but hopes she can hire back her staff.
“In no way are we getting rich. We are just happy to be able to supply this service to the community," she said.
