Erin Wright and her husband Kevin love rum.
They love rum so much that they have more than 300 bottles of the spirit in their personal collection tucked away in their Mantua home.
So what’s the next logical step for these rum enthusiasts? Open up a rum-centric craft distillery of course.
What began in 2006 during a rum tour in Bermuda became a reality in 2020 with the opening of Striped Lion Distilling. Now more than two months old, the Black-owned family business is a success even while opening during an unprecedented pandemic.
“We just talked about it as a joke,” said Erin, a pediatrician, while inside their business located on North Broad Street in Woodbury. A Striped Lion black mask covered her face as she sat at a high-top table in the tasting room, which soon would be busy with thirsty customers.
Gail Thom, of Clayton, enjoys a drink with friends and family at Striped Lion Distilling in Woodbury, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021. Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
One of the first people to escape a cold Saturday January afternoon to tip back a few cocktails was Gail Thom, of Clayton. Thom, who was there to celebrate her birthday with friends and family, sat at a table by the large windows that allowed the abundant sunlight to flood the room.
“They’re pretty delicious so I think we’ve got a nice little mix here,” she said while sipping on a Cocoa Creme drink — cocoa rum, simple syrup, cream and seltzer. A block of cheese and snacks that they brought was the perfect complement to the variety of drinks the group ordered.
The first-time customers said they enjoyed the relaxed homey atmosphere that the distillery gave off, adding that it was nice to have a different place to go to in the area.
Striped Lion took over a building that was used as a car dealership and most recently as a car tinting business. Kevin said the community of the two-square-mile city has been very welcoming and is the perfect spot for them to distill their rums.
“The community loves having a distillery in their own backyard,” he said.
Kevin Wright, co-owner of Striped Lion Distilling in Woodbury, checks a wash, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021. Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
For Erin, these rums are the starting point to teach customers about the spirit and bring to light its many other uses. She said most people know more about gins, whiskeys and vodkas and have not really tapped into what rum can do.
She believes most people have a perception in their head of who drinks what spirit, and rum is no different.
“When you think of rum I guess some people think of pirates,” she said, but points out that it can be used in so many different ways that it has a spot for most anyone.
There is more to it than the ho-hum rum and coke and the standard Tiki drink, she added. “I am really excited to help people experience rum and help elevate rum in the world.”
Their “fascination” of rum, as she calls it, began years earlier while sipping on more than one of Bermuda’s popular drinks, the Dark ‘n’ Stormy, a rum drink made with ginger beer, during a friend’s wedding in the tropical paradise. This experience enhanced their desire to learn more about rum and to explore other rums through festivals and distilleries.
A mojito and an Old Fashioned at Striped Lion Distilling in Woodbury, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021. Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Kevin, who works as an IT specialist — and as Erin called him, a “chemistry buff of sorts” — brought up the idea that they could distill their own rum. He was captivated by the distillation process and its similarity to chemistry.
Erin said that the thought of “maybe one day when we retire, we’ll move to some warm place and grow sugar cane and make rum,” began to take a turn when they visited a Camden distillery around 2014.
While there, they learned about the process and materials it takes to make a distillery. In early 2015 they decided that they would try and turn what was once a joke of sorts into a successful business.
They leased a building in 2016 with the hope of opening a year later. The small city of Woodbury — which is located in Gloucester County, just south of Philadelphia — isn’t the warm tropical paradise decorated with palm trees against dark blue skies they first envisioned, but it was close to home and fit their needs perfectly.
Kevin and Erin Wright, owners of Striped Lion Distilling in Woodbury, bottle rum, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021. Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
The biggest stumbling blocks were securing a small business loan and installing fire protection sprinklers.
She said they had an excellent business plan, good credit and fit all the boxes for a loan, but still struggled to find a lender.
“Bank after bank after bank after bank would find a reason why they did not want to loan us money.”
She thought it was strange that they would hear “you guys have an excellent business plan or wow, you guys have really put a lot of thought into this. But no, we’re not gonna lend you the money.”
Erin said she can’t say for sure they were turned down because they were Black but wondered if they were different would it have made a difference.
Though the process was disappointing it also made them more resilient. Three years later with a loan secured and the installation of the sprinkler system about to begin, the pandemic hit. As the world was put on pause they moved forward slowly. Work started on the sprinklers and they took on other renovations themselves.
When they received their license at the end of October 2020, they were ready to roll. That evening Kevin began distilling. They distill five rums on site, a Pot Stilled Rum, as well as Citrus, Cocoa, Cinnamon and Overproof rums. Their sixth and final rum, Rum Collectors Reserve, is a blend of four- to 10-year-old pot- and column-distilled rums, which is then finished in a cognac cask.
Bartender Eugene Armstead makes an Old Fashioned at Striped Lion Distilling in Woodbury, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021.Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Being a part of the small business community, Erin said she would like to see the businesses reach out and help strengthen each other and the communities they are located in. Even more so now as the pandemic continues to make life difficult for business owners.
She is happy to see people come out and support minority-owned businesses, like their own, because those businesses may have faced challenges that were not faced by others.
Striped Lion has faced its own challenges during the years leading up to opening its doors in December and those hurdles have only strengthened Erin and Kevin’s resolve to provide a delicious customer experience.
Customers sit in the tasting room of Striped Lion Distilling in Woodbury, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021. Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
“We are confident in our spirits, we are confident in our product and we are confident in our presentation here so we knew people walking in the door giving us a chance would not be disappointed,” said Erin.
She encourages Black entrepreneurs not to give up even though it may be intimidating to think of stepping into a field where there are not many others who look like you or who share your same background.
“It can be a little bit scary to wonder about how you will be accepted, but know that many more people are rooting for you than you realize and your boldness can empower others to have the courage to pursue their dreams.”
Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.
Tim Hawk may be reached at thawk@njadvancemedia.com.
The Link LonkFebruary 20, 2021 at 11:02PM
https://ift.tt/3aCLA4s
A joke, then a dream, now a reality as Black-owned distillery opens in small N.J. city - NJ.com
https://ift.tt/2BsGM2G
Joke
No comments:
Post a Comment