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Sons of Liberty Beer & Spirits Co. and JAVA Skin Care Team Up To Donate Hand Cleaner To Rhode Islanders In Need
Rhode Island businesses unite as COVID-19 continues to create supply shortages
Sons of Liberty Beer & Spirits Co. (SOL) and JAVA Skin Care are packaging two thousand 50ml bottles of hand cleaner to be given away to locals on Monday, March 23rd. Craft distilleries across the country are stepping up to help as the supply of hand sanitizers has quickly diminished due to the coronavirus outbreak.
“People need it, we can make it, so it’s not even a question,” says Bryan Ricard, SOL’s marketing director. “We’re following a formula recommended by the World Health Organization which is just ethanol, hydrogen peroxide, glycerol and purified water. We definitely have plenty of the first ingredient, so we’re going to help as much as we can.” The team at Sons of Liberty isn’t sure how long COVID-19 and supply shortages will last, but the hope is to produce as many future batches as possible.
In response to the national crisis, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) waived provisions this week, giving the green light for distilleries to produce ethanol-based sanitizers. “That was huge,” Mike Reppucci, founder and president of Sons of Liberty, explained, “in times like this, you definitely don’t want to be stopped by red tape and be prevented from trying to help.” The effort of the two Rhode Island businesses has received support from many within the state, a sign of RI’s eagerness to work together amid the national emergency.
Sons of Liberty, with help from their friends at JAVA Skin Care, gathered the supplies needed as fast as they could. “We created a video to show folks how to make a DIY hand sanitizer out of household items when we realized people couldn’t buy it in stores,” said JAVA’s Director of Innovation, Emily O’Donnell. “Now, being able to create a hand sanitizer with SOL and give it away to the community is just amazing. We jumped at the opportunity to help and to share our packaging connections.”
Plans for larger batches are underway as Sons of Liberty seeks to help businesses as well. “We’ve been receiving calls and emails non-stop. There are so many businesses currently in operation that need a hand sanitizer to keep their staff and customers safe,” says Ricard. Sons of Liberty will donate as much as they can to the community, but to keep the operation running and producing larger amounts for businesses, they hope to only charge minimal pricing to businesses to cover some costs. They want to reiterate that they will do everything they can to accommodate everyone.
“We love our community and will do our absolute best to fulfill this need,” said Reppucci. “We just ask that everyone be patient with us as we navigate something that is very new to us.” Rhode Island businesses can request sanitizer with this form.
Free Sanitizer Pick Up
- Monday, March 23rd from 12-6pm
- Peace Dale School at 109 Kersey Rd, Wakefield
- Free. Donations accepted
- Two 50ml bottles per household
- Please be patient and try to maintain 6 feet of distance between other people
Future pick-up dates will be determined after the first day. Follow Sons of Liberty on Facebook or Instagram for updates or visit http://www.drinksol.com.
The Industrious Spirit Company Offering Free House Made Hand Sanitizer
The Industrious Spirit Company (ISCO), Providence’s first distillery since prohibition, is using a byproduct of the production of its structural vodka to create alcohol based hand sanitizer. Using the World Health Organization (WHO) recipe they are able to develop small batches, which they are giving away to anyone who stops by their “Wish We Could Window” while supplies last.
“We want to do our part in helping the community during these challenging times,” said distiller Dan Neff of The Industrious Spirit Company. “Across the country we are seeing distilleries produce high-alcohol based sanitizer and know this is a way we can give back. With the small volume we currently produce we expect it to go quickly, but will keep making as long as we have the ingredients to do so. We do encourage social distancing when coming by to pick up a bottle and apologize in advance if our supplies cannot keep up.”
Stay up to date by following us on Instagram @iscospirits. We are located at 1 Sims Avenue #103, Providence, RI 02909.
