UPDATE:
Okanagan Craft Spirits Distillery’s bottles are in and the product is poured.
The Vernon-based craft distillery will be donating its locally produced hand/surface alcohol sanitizer to institutions and groups that work directly with populations most at risk.
“Our initial focus will be tot ry to help institutions such as care homes, shelters, community public health centres and first responders,” it said in social media post.
“As soon as possible, we will expand this initial release to an additional 1,600 personal-format size sanitizers for our customers with a suggested $2 donation for those who can afford it.”
The funds raised will be donated to the Upper Room Mission in Vernon and Kelowna’s Gospel Mission.
ORIGINAL:
Officials at Vernon’s Okanagan Spirits are rubbing their hands at the prospect of a locally created hand sanitizer.
Okanagan Spirits hopes to soon be able to give customers a hand sanitizer made at the distillery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We started about a week, week-and-a-half ago after we started seeing distilleries in the United States doing it,” Okanagan Spirits CEO Tyler Dyck said.
“We are still sorting out the legalities and making sure were not giving away a product that’s going to harm the public,” said Dyck, who is also the head of Craft Distillers Guild of B.C.
The sanitizer is made from alcohol that, when running a distillery, is at the so-called “front.”
It’s alcohol powerful enough to run a vehicle.
After its treated and made into sanitizer, the distillery is looking to create personal-size safe bottles of the product that, ideally, comes with a pump or a mister. It would be a perfect size for individuals or for workers such as police and firefighters.
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Labels for the product have been made. The company just needs to find some pumpers, bottles and sort out some legalities before offering it to the public.
“We are expecting our shipment of individual-size sanitizer misting bottles very soon,” Dyck said.
The sanitizer, of course, is not safe for drinking purposes.
Dyck said Okanagan Spirits is doing its best to supply care homes and local institutions that are directly related to the care of at-risk individuals with what it can.
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roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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