Owney’s Fam Thank You Note #1
This one goes out to you, and you, and you… my Owney’s family. I will save the invaluable importance of the blood family of an entrepreneur for another day – this guy is strictly for the livest #OwneysFam
I think I’ll try to go in sequential order.
First off, thanks to all the distilleries around the country (and world) that came before. Thank you for answering my questions on the thousands of tours I took. Thanks for setting examples and creating paths to follow. Thanks to all the people since the beginning of time who have made alcohol and written about it – I read almost everything out there and wouldn’t have figured out how to do it without your words and research.
Next up, my angel investors – clearly, we wouldn’t have been able to get off the ground without you. Building and operating a distillery is a highly capital intensive business from a manufacturing perspective. But, that’s not the half of it in the liquor biz. It’s a marketing business that requires ridiculously deep pockets to play with the big companies (thankfully we were able to use guerilla tactics and such to circumvent a lot of that). Anyway, back to the crew who took a chance on me when there was nothing. Thank you for believing in me and my vision to bring rum distilling back to my beloved home of nyc and make a delicious liquid (when that was 10000% out of left field). Thank you for placing your hard-earned money in the hands of a totally inexperienced 27-year-old with a pitch deck and a dream. In retrospect, out of a lot of the wild things, I really can’t believe I pulled off raising money at that juncture. Thank you for being over the top patient. Thank you to coming in again on future financing rounds. You are true angels, thank you.
Then, my contractors and construction team. Ah, never mind. No thanks for treating me like a child and being misogynistic pieces of shit looking around for ‘my husband’ or ‘father’ who must have been the ‘real’ owner. No thanks for lying to me consistently. You suck. Woof, ok, moving on.
Nick, my friend and the all-around creative. Thank you for helping me cultivate the Owney’s vibe. Thank you for being patient with a savage. Thank you for helping me put words and thoughts into a visual aesthetic. It’s a true talent. I will always remember sitting in my apartment in TriBeCa in 2011 telling you about this crazy idea to open a rum distillery and asking for help. Thank you for helping and sticking around for a plethora of marketing needs over the past 8+ years. The Owney’s package, marketing materials, photos and websites were all so on point – really something to forever be so proud of! “I love the bottle, it’s so cool” will always definitely be top 5 consumer take-aways.
To all of the bartenders and buyers who took an initial risk on me. I had no industry friends or connects. I went around knocking on doors and sitting at bars with a bottle of rum in my purse hoping someone would take time to taste it (and hopefully like it and then also buy it). I was a random woman who no one knew making a white rum in Brooklyn. Most people shut the door in my face. To those who supported those first few bottles and placements (at some of the most important spots in the world) when I was delivering out of the trunk of my car – I will be forever grateful. I don’t have to name you, you know who you are. Thank you for validating Owney’s and for helping me get street cred and gain some momentum. You are a significant reason why we were able to keep going and I am so very grateful.
Major thanks to all the journalists who wrote about me and continued to write. Something I NEVER in a million years expected!!! I definitely didn’t go into starting Owney’s thinking this was a “story” but boy did it turn out to be — national publications, TV, radio - wowzas! I didn’t think I would be the face of the brand (whether I liked my photo taken or not – thanks photographers for making it as painless as possible :)). You helped spread the good word and got behind the movement and I am just still speechless about how much attention was fostered (with not a single dollar spent on PR!!). I am forever indebted to each and every one of you. Truly.
Yeah pretty much all of that before one full time employee…
Now, for my girls. Leslie. Celina. Melissa. There is NO WAY we would have made it without you.
Les, my first employee. Thing 2. Thank you for your unwavering support and love for Owney’s from the moment you first visited the distillery. Thank you for agreeing to come on board a couple of years later. Thank you for introducing the story and the liquid to thousands of people in such an enthusiastic and unique way. Thank you for your creativity. You helped build an incredible brand. Thanks for spit-balling hundreds of ideas with me, for entertaining (and emotionally supporting) all my bullshit, for teaching classes with me, for hopping on planes to spread the love, for jumping up and down pounding the table at distributor presentations, for throwing a bunch of shit up against the wall at all times to see what might stick, and for drinking overproof daqs and throwing shakers when necessary. Thanks for placing Owney’s in the hands of some of the most important tastemakers throughout the country. Thanks for being you which was inherently driving sales and motivating people to drink more Owney’s at all times. Truly one of a kind.
Celina, employee number 2. Probably a few weeks after Leslie back in 2014. Thank you for your unbridled loyalty. You started part time and stayed with me all the way through the end when I really considered the distillery yours (as you ran the operations way better than I did!). Thank you for sticking it out in the beginning and staying around when I couldn’t give you hours for weeks on end – “no problem, I’ll pick up some shifts at a bar”. Thank you for running the still overnight alone (yikes! bad boss.) sometimes. Thank you for being tough, strong, smart and just always figuring out how to get shit done somehow. Thanks for ripping apart pumps and boilers and re-assembling them correctly. Just figuring it out at all times. Thank you for dealing with the trucks (on an insane “manufacturing” street in BK) and the forklift guys, the backed up plumbing and all the really annoying shit that comes with running a plant. Thank you for making processes better. You were there for me in some of the darkest moments of my personal life and lifted a weight off of my shoulders knowing that I didn’t have to worry about the distillery so I could try to help myself and my family. No words.
Melissa, I mean – who doesn’t love you? You have such positive energy. Thank you for bringing some calm into the space. Thank you for sharing your love of rum and the distillery with tour guests and at events. I know for sure every person walked away feeling good after being in your presence. Thank you for sharing your artistic talents – for hand-painting beautiful signs and walls and for having mad chalkboard skills. I always smile when I remember your contributions.
You guys were in the fucking trenches with me and for that we will be forever bonded. You were better than I was at a lot of things and I wouldn’t have made it without you. I am grateful for our continued friendships and look forward to all the awesome things to come in your future. I just have so much love for you all.
To the team of the second phase – the Daq Shaq crew – Alicia, Gates (guest bartender and advocate), Jelani, Sean, Brian, John, Vince – although short lived, the daq shaq rocked. So many good times, including dominos, other nerdy games I cant remember now, new years eve, overproof floaters, endless summer parties, tang in the frozen machine, lots of cocktail development, 1 million daiquiris? -- appreciate you all!
To Jelani and Austin (we eventually let boys in the inner circle club) -- you guys are really so awesome. Jelani – thank you for helping make the rum, the daiquiris, fix the machines, the everything – a true jack of all trades! Your kindness and generosity are infectious. And your cocktails are incredible. Must be because you are a native New Yorker ;). Thank you for your endless support and loyalty especially on those days where you would legit work for 24 hours straight after a shift at the bar. Inspirational work ethic. Austin – always a lover and supporter of Owney’s in your establishments and recently a real invaluable advocate in the trade. Thank you for continuing to share your love of Owney’s with this wonderful industry. You’re the man. I look forward to continuing to share daiquiris with you both forever.
Also major thanks to all the sales people at our distributors across the country – especially to the local guys first at T Edwards and then at Empire in the most competitive market in the world, NYC. Thank you for introducing Owney’s to your accounts and getting it placed when it definitely wasn’t a quota from your boss and had no slush money to support you or the accounts. You got behind a few crazy women for no true benefit to you (maybe you got a kick out of us?) and helped immensely. You made it happen. The liquor hustle is real – hard but at least there are lots of cocktails involved (always). It helps. I’ll miss the endless days of account visits/work withs filled with laughs, delicious food, beverage and hospitality. My Dad once asked me “how many bars and restaurants do you think you’ve been in around the world?” Haha I truly shudder to think.
It goes without saying that this would be nothing without all of the bartenders, buyers, and CONSUMERS at establishments across the country that bought and showcased Owney’s. Thank you. Thank you for enjoying the liquid. Thank you for visiting the distillery and learning about our processes when you could (science is fun and oh so cool!). Thank you for concocting incredible drinks. Thank you for featuring us on your menus and for introducing Owney’s to the end consumer. Thank you consumers for drinking said drinks (and ordering a second!). Thank you for retelling our story. Word of mouth is so powerful. Thank you for furthering the story by showcasing Owney’s on your social channels. Thank you for sending random emails or handwritten notes emitting amazing vibes and love (I printed them all out and hung them on my office walls to read when I was feeling low). Thank you for letting us in and allowing us to get to know you. Thank you for all the snaquiris. You are a part of my heart and you aren’t getting rid of me any time soon :)
Finally, thank you to Proximo Spirits for seeing an opportunity to take a small, beloved boutique rum brand to the next level. And thank you for agreeing to take on the challenge. Thank you to the whole team (well your whole team, and me and 1 lawyer on my side haha) for getting the deal done. You made Owney’s a WINNER and my first business the textbook definition of ‘success’. We are all pulling for Owney’s to one day be a national brand and a household name – I’m excited to be along for the ride in spirit.
Last but definitely far from least… to my personal, non-industry friends. You should actually be in the blood family post. Because you are. Thank you for all of your endless support. Thank you for drinking more rum (even if it’s not your favorite). Thank you for asking for Owney’s at every single bar you ever went to. Thank you for coming to all the parties and promo events. Thanks for sharing the story on your social channels. Thanks for telling every single person you ever knew about “your friend that has a rum company”. Thanks for hopping in to bottle and label cases when I was desperate (or naming your adorable pets Owney or doing pro bono electric work or lifting low boy fridges over bars… the list goes on and on). Thank you for understanding when I couldn’t hang out because I was married to my business. Thanks for being alongside the roller coaster — Thank you for sharing in the joy of the successes — Thank you for listening to me whine, cry and complain when I was at my worst. Thank you for buying bottles. And buying more bottles. And gifting your co-workers bottles for the holidays. And telling me where a good lead was. And asking why a certain place was out of bottles and demanding they re-order. I love you all, but you already know that.
In conclusion **YOU ALL HELPED MOVE THE MOVEMENT!!!** much love.
Damn a few words really don’t do 8 years of feelings and experiences justice. It’s still hard to digest what has happened from start to finish on this journey. More Owney’s babble to come for sure. <3
