Oregon Distilleries to Produce Hand Sanitizer

Freeland Spirits in Oregon is spearheading a program in which distilleries in Oregon are redistilling and donating hand sanitizer in compliance with WHO guidelines. Full details are below.

While COVID-19 has created unprecedented challenges for businesses, several local distilleries are using their resources to creatively meet one of the community’s growing needs: hand sanitizer.

Freeland Spirits is spearheading the project of redistilling alcohol to create hand sanitizer following WHO (World Health Organization) guidelines. The hand sanitizer is being donated to nonprofits and sold to the City of Portland and TriMet. In true community spirit, other Oregon distilleries are rallying to supply Freeland Spirits with the alcohol needed to produce hand sanitizer for as long as possible.

One of these suppliers is Brew Dr. Kombucha. The Portland-based kombucha company gently extracts alcohol (a byproduct of the kombucha fermentation process) through a non-heat distillation method to make their organic kombucha safe for all ages to enjoy. Under normal circumstances, Brew Dr.’s removed alcohol is converted into bioethanol fuel, but the brand jumped at the opportunity to join other businesses in meeting the increasing need for hand sanitizer.

“As a small business, we’re focused on doing everything we can to responsibly keep our business afloat and care for our employees in this crazy time, but we always strive to keep our heads up and eyes open for ways to help the community outside our own business,” said Brew Dr. founder and CEO Matt Thomas. “We’re grateful that distilleries are coming together to meet this particular need. As cliche as it may sound, we really are all in this together.”