Spirits360 Lifts Distillery Spirits During Pandemic
R
ecent stay-in-place orders and quarantine directives have hastened changes related to the way consumers shop for and obtain distilled spirits.
But while consumers adjust to this new reality, one Sarasota-based eCommerce company is introducing a solution.
Due to landmark legislation and an innovative payment and shipping platform, Spirits360 LLC is uniquely positioned to provide high-quality bourbon to those waiting out the cornonavirus outbreak at home.
It all started last year when Account Manager Tom Langenkamp needed help shipping spirits in the wake of two key bills passed at the Kentucky statehouse. House Bill 400 allowed Kentucky distillery visitors to ship spirits home, provided home was in an allowed state. House Bill 415 eliminated the need for the visit to the distillery and instead allowed customers to place their orders online. Because of the previous measures being pursued to support Kentucky distilleries in the direct-to-consumer market, Spirits360 was uniquely poised to immediately offer assistance as more states opened direct-to-consumer channels in an effort to support distilleries and provide a safe means for consumers to obtain spirits during this crisis.
When Tom asked me if I wanted to get involved last year, I was thrilled, said Spirtits360 CEO Mark Hume. I was born and raised in Louisville and went to school at the University of Kentucky. I already knew quite a bit about the industry and jumped at the opportunity. Unfortunately, the coronavirus has put additional pressure on distilleries across the country as visitor traffic continues to decline. Consumers want to be able to stay at home and order online. We really wanted to find a way to help the industry by using the work we had already done to support the Kentucky legislation changes. Because we are already set up to handle the direct-to-consumer channel, Spirits360 was able to immediately offer a solution to impacted distillers. We have received multiple requests for our services as states found creative ways to address the delivery of spirits to keep business alive and to continue to collect much-needed tax revenue.
Pat Dorsey, who recently sold fintech company First Billing Services and has worked with Hume on numerous projects over the years, joined Spirts360's board at a critical time.
I think these guys have a home run on their hands in a critical time when businesses need help, he said. It's amazing how quickly UPS and Spirts360 have developed a platform that can ship, collect taxes for states and safely verify the age of the recipient. When you build businesses from the front line based upon a culture of great customer service with the right people, success will follow.
The Spirits360 Distillery network currently includes Kentucky, California, New York, as well as international shipping and will continue to grow as laws change.
✔️ Spirits360 Lifts Distillery Spirits During Pandemic
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