COVID-19
When production of supplies needed to fight the spread of COVID-19 began to slow down across New York State, a local Rochester distillery stepped up. Black Button Distilling is swapping out its production of craft spirits for ethanol-based hand sanitizer.
“We have an opportunity to help our community,” said Black Button Distilling president Jason Barret. “If this saves just one life then it has been time well spent.”
Following FDA guidance and World Health Organization-approved recipes, Barret and his employees sealed 2,500 bottles of hand sanitizer on its first day. In the coming weeks, as operations continue to ramp up, Barrett hopes to deliver 50,000 bottles a week to organizations who remain open and healthcare professionals caring for those infected by COVID-19.
Black Button recently provided Rochester Regional Health with 900 bottles of hand sanitizer for use across Rochester Regional’s hospitals and other locations.
“If we’re able to help in some way, shouldn’t we?” Barret said. “I feel honored and committed to finding ways for my crew to get back to work.”
Barrett said it took just 48 hours for his team to learn a new set of federal regulations and retool a major production plant to produce the hand sanitizer. It helped that they were already equipped to handle high-grade ethanol. "We were ready," he added.
Barret encourages any interested hospitals, homeless shelters, senior citizen centers, paramedics, fire stations, daycares and other businesses or organizations that are considered as high risk to contact cheers@blackbuttondistilling.com for possible distribution.
