DISTILLERS MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN DEI
BY JAMIE STAFFORD
Diversity , equity , and inclusion means many different things to many different people . The beverage alcohol industry has gone through some growing pains as it strives to answer the question , “ what will DEI look like in the coming years ?” Each tier will have to put forth a unique vision , created to best accommodate the niche of the industry that it occupies .
On the supplier front , craft distilleries such as Du Nord Social Spirits produce high-quality products on the foundation of a diverse and informed workforce . Minneapolis-based Du Nord features a core line-up of five spirits : gin , vodka , whiskey and two liqueurs .
Chris Montana , founder and distiller of Du Nord , recalls his impetus to enter the spirits business . “ At the very beginning , the idea for Du Nord boiled out of a frustration regarding a business I wanted to start but thought I couldn ’ t — a brewery . A friend suggested that I should look into distilling ,” says Montana . He and his wife Shanelle went on to found Du Nord Social Spirits .
“ It was a good mix of my interests , which was the science of distilling and brewing , paired with my wife ’ s interests , which was addressing the gap that existed between urban and rural communities . This was a way for us to bridge that gap .”
“[ Du Nord ] happened very quickly and without very much money ,” he recalls . “ We did not and do not have any investors in the company , so we were massively undercapitalized . My wife and I both had day jobs , and at that time , we also had a new baby , so we would work nights at the distillery . It was not an easy path .”
The distillery faced numerous hardships along that path , even as it ’ s found a stable and successful foothold in 2022 . When asked what the most enduring challenge has been , aside from the pandemic , Montana said , “ it ’ s always been about access to capital . As we ’ ve learned , it ’ s very difficult to be a medium-sized distillery : you ’ re either very small or very large . Part of that is because it ’ s hard to find the funds to grow .”
When you ’ re first setting out , Montana notes , “ it feels like you ’ re always one mistake away from Armageddon . That ’ s changed over the years : Du Nord is larger than it used to be , and we have more flexibility and capability than we used to have , but we ’ re still a small company and we will still face challenges regarding capital .”
The easiest way to mitigate such pitfalls is bringing on investors , certainly easier said than done . And doing so can lead to its own difficulties .
When weighing the benefits of investors for Du Nord , Montana erred on the side of caution . “ Culturally , it ’ s extremely important to me that the basic tenets that I think have made Du Nord worth owning and a place worth working for stay intact ,” he says .
“ We ’ ve had investors approach us , but it ’ s not a function of just going out and getting cash . We ’ re not interested in that . We prefer to go out and get partners , partners who understand that our model is effective for bringing new people into the industry and changing how we think about the industry . Someone who ’ s just looking to make money and follow the old patterns , they ’ re not a good fit for us .”
The distillery balances a tight budget by keeping its spirits profile rather lean . “ We pick what products to make based on what we like ,” Montana says . “ We don ’ t make things that already exist . When we did the two liqueurs , the apple and the coffee , it was because those were liqueurs that we thought could be better . The versions that were out there , we didn ’ t really like . Then we stopped there . At the beginning , we didn ’ t have the capacity to make 15 , 20 spirits . In the end , it was a blessing because instead of trying
Du Nord Social Spirits includes a gin , vodka , whiskey and two liqueurs .
PHOTO CREDIT : DU NORTH SOCIAL SPIRITS - KEN FRIBERG
to get good at making 20 , we got great at making five .”
Despite this , Du Nord isn ’ t afraid of experimentation . “ I think you have to ; it ’ s what makes distilling fun , making new weird stuff . We have a number of products we ’ ve made but we just never released them . I won ’ t say we ’ ll never come out with a new spirit , but right now that ’ s not where my focus is . Now , I ’ m really focused on scaling the five that we have , which is challenge enough .”
A SMART , DIVERSE TEAM Du Nord Social Spirits is mindful of its products , and it ’ s also mindful of the people who make those products . Chris Montana set out to make a point about the type of people he hired .
“ We hired people who were smart , not
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