As an example of adapting to changing market conditions and serving a need, Red Fork Distillery in Tulsa now is brewing hand sanitizer.
The sanitizer not only is serving a need during the coronavirus pandemic, but it’s proving popular as well.
KTUL-TV in Tulsa reported:
“Is it our long-term plan? Probably not, but it is filling a need. As much or even more than spirits are,” she said.
The distillery is tucked off the famous Route 66, but Hoey said they were unknown to the people of Tulsa.
Now that people are picking up items from their front door, Hoey said it’s given her shop a better connection to customers.
“People know where we are at,” she said. “People know that we even exist, where they may not have known that before.”
The Jenks Tribune also reported:
“We made the decision to cut our trip short and come back home,” Dana said. “We left Atlanta that Wednesday, March 19, and on the drive back we started to get the notifications that the Federal government was lifting restrictions to allow distilleries to step in and make hand sanitizer to help in the time of need. We were literally in our car driving home figuring out how to make hand sanitizer.” […]
The Hoeys returned home to Jenks that night of March 19, worked out the formulations and by the afternoon of March 20, had hand sanitizer in the hands of the Tulsa Police Department.
“We were packaging it in empty whiskey bottles because that is all we had at the time,” Dana said. “The word began to spread, and more and more law enforcement and first responder agencies were contacting us about hand sanitizer. We were producing the product as fast as we could and getting it out to everyone who needed it.”
The distillery posted these photos Monday of first responders getting the sanitizer:
Purchases are through curbside service only during the citywide restrictions. The owner said they’ll continue to make the hand sanitizer as long as people are wanting it.
The distillery, which opened a few years ago, is at 3310 Southwest Blvd. (aka Route 66) in the Red Fork neighborhood of southwest Tulsa, hence its name.
(Image of Red Fork Distillery’s hand sanitizer via Facebook)