OF PLEASURE AND GOOD CHEER
Tom gin and lime in his cocktail recipes.” Henderson’s products must meet his high bar of excellence. “We are proud to have won many medals and awards for our spirits. For Birdie Brown, we stay true to what her orig- inal recipe would’ve been, knowing that she would’ve grown wheat, oat, and barley in Montana. We made a mash bill using only those ingredients. We came up with an unaged Plain Hooch and a Straight Wheat Whiskey for that brand. “Culture is ingrained in everything we do. From our stories to our labels and to what we hope to accomplish within the industry, it is just part of our company DNA. If you follow us on Instagram @tombullocks and @sipbir- ide, you can see how we show up. You can also learn more about us at birdie- brown.com and tombullocks.com.” Sharing the stories of these pioneer- ing African Americans is important to Henderson. “I think it’s very import- ant to share these stories. One thing that got me interested in getting into his business was that I was seeing the same old stories on labels that did not relate to me, and I was seeing labels that had people on them who did not look like me.” “Letting people know that African Americans have always played a part in spirits, as we have in every other industry, is important. Everywhere we go to present our spirits, we always tell these stories. I believe our cus- tomers and individuals behind the bar appreciate the stories and enjoy sharing them with their friends and customers.
“... I WAS SEEING THE SAME OLD STORIES ON LABELS THAT DID NOT RELATE TO ME, AND I WAS SEEING LABELS THAT HAD PEOPLE ON THEM WHO DID NOT LOOK LIKE ME.”
While Henderson’s mission is to ‘Diversify the Bar’ the Group is not exclusionary. “We don’t feel our drinks are only for African Americans. We feel like everyone can enjoy them, and we have seen many demographics enjoying and appreciating our products. Just like I have a variety of brands on my bar. I think that other people from other races can include our products on their bars as well. There is room for all of us.” As for the future, “We are going to really work hard to penetrate the markets that we are in and will dial in on the best formula for sharing and growing our brand in those markets. After that, we will expand to more states and eventually internationally. Also, in the next few months, we will be announcing some exciting strategic investments that will help us continue to scale.” As to advice for entrepreneurs
interested in this space? “Research as much as you can and try to reach out to some people in the industry to start learning the ins and outs of this highly regulated business.” “I’d say also make sure that you have something unique about your product and or story that could help you stand apart from the other brands on the shelf. You’ll need to have some patience as it takes time to build your brand recognition and gain points of distri- bution if you’re doing it independently. And if you have plans to age your own spirit, be prepared to make a significant investment upfront that will not return any cash for years.” “I’d say it is also good to have unaged products, like we do in our Old Tom Gin and Plain Hooch, so you can start establishing your brands and gener- ating revenue while you wait for your aged products to be ready.” ♦
46 THE JOURNAL ♦ WINTER 2023-2024
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