SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 News) – Steve Conlin and his crew at Ogden’s Own Distillery are entering a new line of work providing a high commodity item called hand sanitizer.
“You know people are scared and so if this is one way to calm some people’s nerves, by all means, we are going to keep doing it,” said Conlin.
Because of COVID-19, President Trump waived federal regulations and the World Health Organization sent out a recipe for sanitizer, allowing Utah distilleries to brew new orders.
“So the moment we heard that, we said this is important, it is something we can do, let’s get going on it,” he said. “We are making it at 80 percent alcohol, ethanol alcohol, with hydrogen peroxide and some glycerin.”
Ogden’s Own is mostly known for its Five Wives Vodka. Friday, the company made 275 gallons of the ‘Five Wives Sanitize’ Hand Sanitizer. Within hours it was all sold out.
“It is obvious there is a need for it and it is obvious everyone is concerned,” said Conlin.
Local Ogden businesses like Grounds for Coffee are helping sell the product in person.
“You know what I think it is amazing what they are doing for the community and they were able to put this together, and we could sell it in ounces, and it will just help everybody with the shortage going on,” said Julie Kish with Grounds for Coffee. “I think it is wonderful and it is so important that we watch out for everybody around us.”
“I think it is hard for everybody, it’s been quite the adjustment and we are all just trying to do the best we can with what we have,” said Bethany Forest the owner of Hippie Skin.
Forest is helping Conlin sell The Five Wives Sanitize online.
“My phone has been blowing up the past half hour,” she says. “People are very concerned about having hand sanitizer, so it actually feels really good to offer that to them.”
Just south of that operation, Sugarhouse Distillery and Salt Flats Sprits are ramping up their productions of hand sanitizer.
“This is something that is affecting everybody and I think there is a way for us as an organization and individuals to try and help and yeah we can help keep our people employed, but we can also produce something that hopefully will save lives literally,” said Jeremy Ford the Director of Operations Salt Flats Brewery and Salt Flats Spirits.
Earlier in the week when restaurants were mandated to 86’ed the dine-in option, Ford says his company furloughed 70 people.
“We are already bringing back five people [Saturday] to help us with this project,” he said. “So, if this can grow into something to keep some hourly labor, some servers, some cooks, and our own sales staff at the brewery working, then we want to do that.”
Showing a Community over Crisis when it counts the most.
- COVID-19 cases spiked by 72% across Utah over last year, but deaths dropped 34%
- WHO: Weekly reported deaths from COVID-19 at the lowest since start of pandemic
- No states requiring student vaccinations this school year
- Moderna sues Pfizer-BioNTech over COVID-19 vaccine patents
- First lady tests positive in COVID-19 ‘rebound’ case
