FAIRFAX, Ohio — The coronavirus has stretched health and hygiene resources very thin across the board — and hand sanitizer still remains one of the most hard to find products.
With their taproom and restaurant closed thanks to the coronavirus, Karrikin Spirits had to rethink their business model. So they decided to help more people than just themselves, by making hand sanitizer to fill a great need for people here in Ohio and across the country.
- The sanitizer will be a fine mist spray that falls in line with recommendations from the WHO
- All proceeds will be used to support the staff at Karrikin while most of them are out of work
- It will be ready for purchase in the next two weeks
For a business that’s used to making beer and different types of alcohol, things quickly changed, as preventative measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus were implemented.
Owner-Operator of Karrikin Eric Baumann and his partners quickly had to make a decision to help others in order to help themselves.
“We had to shut down the majority of our operations with our restaurant and taproom,” Baumann said. “But that being said, we saw an opportunity in the fact that we’re an alcohol producer, and we can produce that alcohol instead of making spirits for people to buy, we’re now making spirits for hand sanitizer.”
Making the shift was something they knew would instantly help so many people.
Founder Jeff Hunt said it was an easy decision.
“We do consider it a civic duty, a moral duty,” Hunt said. “Our duty to humanity as a whole to help out with sanitizers.”
The product will be a liquid solution that will be sold in a 4 oz. spray bottle for $3 each. Customers will also be able to buy the sanitizer by the ounce.
“Essentially what we’re doing is we make a high-proof grain neutral spirit,” Baumann said. “It’s actually our spirit we use for vodka, it’s 190 proof.”
He said the sanitizer will meet all the requirements set by the world health organization.
Production will start sometime in the next two weeks, where they hope to produce 12,000 bottles a week. And demand is already, as you can imagine, very high.
“We have had request from our state, from Kentucky to Montana to Arizona,” Hunt said. “We want to help as many people as we can,” said Baumann.
All proceeds from the sanitizer is being used to support this staff at Karrikin.
“We’re stepping it up for the community,” Baumann said. “A lot of the proceeds are going to go to the bar and restaurant industry that’s been dramatically affected by this. Also it’s going to help sustain this company so we can open the doors again and hire our employees back. And let the good times roll again.”