SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE JANUARY 2019
2
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • JANUARY 2019
By Jordan Parker J ill Linquist fell into the distilling business by chance, and found a love she didn’t know existed. She now runs Raging Crow Distillery in North River, N.S., but she would have never expected to end up in the industry. “My husband and I have a small hobby vineyard. We grow grapes and sell to Benjamin Bridge for their Nova7. We took wine tours each year, and in June 2016 we went on an Okanagan wine tour,” she said. “We stopped at Legends Distilling, and a young lady from Lunenburg gave our tour. We were pretty amazed at every- thing,” she said. “He taught small fruits, and he jumped at the chance. We looked at equipment and the costs, formulated a business plan, and incorporated in September 2017.” “I always had a great love and interest in fine food, and I’m a dietitian by trade. I had worked for food companies and had that business background. I knew that all distilleries were different, and we felt that there was room in the industry.” The Canada Revenue Agency granted them with a license in February, and Linquist and Pruski then went to a master distilling course in Kelowna, B.C. before opening. “I always had a great love and interest in fine food, and I’m a dietitian by trade. I had worked for food companies and had that business background. I knew that all distill- eries were different, and we felt that there was room in the industry,” she said. “We kept it small, had a building on the property that my husband and I own, and we went into it with manageable startup costs.” By July 2017, Linquist wanted to make a go of it, and called retiring Dal professor Kris Pruski to be a business partner.
In the hub of Nova Scotia just outside of Truro on Hwy 311 is a place called North River where you will find some of best small-batch, hand-crafted, artisanal distilled spirits in the province and after having the opportunity to sample some of their products, I would go as far to say in Canada. We had the opportunity to sit down with Jill Linquist, owner and operator of Raging Crow Distillery and learn about their focus on creating amazing products and their commitment to sourcing local Nova Scotia grown products, wherever possible. So that you know when tasting one of their hand- crafted spirits that you are getting honey from the local beekeeper, the rye from the local farmer, the coffee from the local coffee roaster, the maple syrup from the local maple shack and bacon smoked by the local butcher because at Raging Crow Distillery, Jill and her team is focused on quality versus quantity and it shows in the product that they produce.
She said the biggest trouble was her unfamiliarity with the regulatory aspects of selling a controlled substance.
“The NSLC and CRA were such a fabulous help. It was definitely a learning curve, but we got the hang of it pretty quickly. Other distilleries in Nova Scotia were also very helpful. They’ve been so supportive even though we are competitors in some ways,” she said.
3
JANUARY 2019 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
“It’s the same for the wine and craft beer industry in Nova Scotia. They are all different, but try to help each other out.”
She can’t say ‘support’ without mentioning the community around her.
“We support other businesses and they support us. The coffee in their coffee liqueur comes from Aroma Maya in North River, and their grains fromHorton Ridge Malt and Grain Company. Our honey in the liqueur comes from our own beehives. The spruce in our spruce-tip gin comes from our cottage. The maple comes from the MacRae’s five minutes down the
road,” she said.
“By supporting each other, we make sure everyone around here benefits. We give credit to those around us who help make our product great, and we help grow other small busi- nesses in the area.” She said they mostly advertise through social media, and she’s thrilled with the support they have seen. “By supporting each other, we make sure everyone around here benefits. We give credit to those around us who help make our product great, and we help grow other small businesses in the area.” “We have had a number of events recently and we’re getting excellent exposure. We’re seeing repeat customers and restaurants are carrying us too. We are happy people are buying, trying, and telling their friends,” she said. She’s proud to say their products are also all natural and chemical-free, and she feels this is important with people focusing on clean eating.
Plumbing, Heating & Ventilation Specialists, with over 15 years Experience
Locally Owned and Operated, providing Fast, Friendly, Courteous and Reliable Service to our Commercial and Residential clients
Throughout our history Hubtown Contracting have been known for our commitment to building long-lasting relationships with our clients.
We take pride in our dedication to excellence, our reputation for quality, and our promise to find or develop both premium residential and commercial properties for clients emphasizing value, quality, sustainability and efficiency.
Eric Newell
3896 Hwy. 311 Truro, N.S B6J 6J2
Bus: 902.897.6605 • Cell: 902.897.7739
“We wanted to make sure we were all-natural. Some sed- imentation occurs because of that, and people may need to shake the bottles. But it goes back to people wanting to know where their food and drinks come from,” she said.
“They know what they’re getting here isn’t artificial. It makes for better taste and has a uniqueness to it.”
They’re not making your everyday liqueurs in North River either. “We want to do more events, expand our exposure and just keep people coming here and enjoying what we do.”
With their Spruce Tip Gin, Honey Liqueur and Cajun Choc- olate Liqueur, they’re keeping things innovative.
“We also have a dill pickle vodka. It goes fabulous in a Caesar. When we took the master distillers course, there was one there and we loved it,” she said. “We just want to be a little different, and keep on innovating down the road.”
Their signature vodka is a potato vodka which is the only one produced in Nova Scotia.
“They advised us at the course not to do this. It’s difficult, has a lower yield, but it’s also really good,” she said. “Kris is
Everything You Need In Print
OUR BEST WISHES FOR CONTINUED SUCCESS!
PROUD PRINT SUPPLIER TO RAGING CROW DISTILLERY
T: 902-895-8804 TF:
1-800-565-8804
aseprint.ca
Polish, and traditionally their vodka is made from potatoes. It has a nice, silky, smooth feel to it. We persevered, and we managed to produce it.”
“We will continue to develop new flavours. Traditional gin is hard to develop and takes a lot of trial and error, and we have started on that journey,” she said. “We have also started barrelling. We took a trip to Kentucky in October and we were inspired by what they were doing there. We are currently aging vodka, rum and organic rye in barrels.”
The company is at a point where each batch is 100-200 bottles.
“We see that as manageable, and we have a single-bot- tle filler and we hand-label. Small batch is great because we can try out flavours. There’s only one employee besides us,” she said.
But she also has some broader visions for the company.
“We want to do more events, expand our exposure and just keep people coming here and enjoying what we do.”
She has high hopes for the next year for the business.
Thank you to our advertisers:
Throughout our history Hubtown Contracting have been known for our commitment to building long-lasting relationships with our clients.
We take pride in our dedication to excellenc our reputation for quality, and our promise t find or develop both premium residential an commercial properties for clients emphasizin value, quality, sustainability and efficiency.
hubtown311@hotmail.com
Raging Crow Distillery
www.aseprint.ca
592 Hwy 311, North River, NS B6L 6H2
3896 Hwy. Truro, N.S B6J OUR FOR C SUCC
PROUD PRINT SUPPLIER TO RAGING CROW DISTILLERY
Eric Newell
email: jill@ragingcrow.com tel: 902-890-6460
Bus: 902.897.6605 • Cell: 902.897.7739
www.ragingcrow.com
www.sidsellssigns.com T: 902-895-8804 TF:
1-800-565
902.890.1719 Plumbing, Heating & Ventilation Specialists, with over 15 years Experience
Locally Owned and Operated, providing Fast, Friendly, Courteous and Reliable Service to our Commercial and Residential clients
as spotlighted in the JANUARY 2019 issue of SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
www.spotlightonbusinessmagazine.com
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker