Supermarket shelves are empty, Amazon is sold out, and food service suppliers are on back order. For North Carolina restaurants or bars looking for sanitizer right now, they are likely getting desperate.
Durham Distillery, makers of Conniption Gin, have quickly stepped in to fill the void. The gins are made from 95% corn-based ethanol alcohol — more than enough to kill viral germs.
“We realized about a week ago,” says co-owner Melissa Katrincic, “That hey, this gives us an opportunity to help out the community in ways others can’t.”
Katrincic and her husband Lee reached out to the North Carolina ABC commissioner Wednesday, March 11, with the idea of creating a sanitizing solution for local hospitality businesses. Commissioner Agnes Stevens checked in with the Department of Health and Human Services and others within the ABC Commission before giving the green light the very next day.
By adding distilled water to the ethanol solution, Durham Distillery can bring it down to about 70% alcohol by volume, more than enough to kill COVID-19 cells and in keeping with CDC and World Health Organization guidelines for sanitizing solutions.
The solutions will be available immediately, free of charge, for Triangle area hospitality businesses. Those interested must get in touch with Durham Distillery to set up an appointment to pick up the solution (doled out in 2 liter allotments to begin with), must bring an approved #2 plastic container or glass container with sealing lid, and will need to sign a waiver as well as undergo simple training from Durham Distillery staff first.
Katrincic stresses that in this rapidly changing environment they cannot forecast demand or guarantee availability, but felt that they needed to do something.
“How do we support the community that has always supported us?” she asks.
Interested businesses can click on this link for more information on the program and to set up an appointment to receive sanitizing solution: https://durhamdistillery.com/pages/covid-19-sanitizing-solution-donation-program