The Rémy Cointreau Group solidarity act to fight COVID-19

Rémy Cointreau releases the following statement last week –

Solidarity actions to fight the epidemic continue at our various sites. We are proud to share the local and spontaneous mobilization of our employees to help healthcare professionals. Their actions reflect our values: Terroir, People and Time.

As all alcohol-related logistics are subject to strict safety and taxation rules, all around the world, the Rémy Cointreau Group is happy to provide its expertise, as a response commensurate with the challenge. Therefore, alcohol donations and hand sanitizer production have been quickly set up and will continue over the long term.

 In France, every production site is mobilized

In France, the Group organizes donations of neutral alcohol (> 96°) and ensures a direct delivery to the users, in the areas we know best: Cognac (Rémy Martin & Louis XIII); Angers (Cointreau); Isère, land of the Domaine des Hautes Glaces; and finally, Paris. More than 10,000 liters of neutral alcohol has been sent to 13 hospitals, central pharmacies and local companies with urgent needs, in four different regions. We would like to warmly thank the Cristal Union cooperative, our supplier, and our forwarding partner Hillebrand, who graciously assisted us in the logistics of the operation.

Rémy Martin has responded to the call from the Houses of Cognac Syndicate which has set up a regional operation to produce, bottle and distribute a hydro-alcoholic solution, with the help of health professionals, elected representatives and the Qualyse laboratory. Rémy Martin has contributed 850 liters of wine alcohol (UNIFAB, now approved by sanitary rules) to this effort. GPs, pharmacies, retirement homes and personal care services in Charente and Charente-Maritime will beneficiate from this donation.

Since March 21th, our production site in Angers also supplies the Angers Faculty of Pharmacy with neutral alcohol (300 liters/day). Since the beginning of April, the objective -shared with the liquorist Giffard- is now to produce a ready-to-use hydro-alcoholic solution, in 2 or 5 liter containers, distributed to the local hospital, which is in charge of its redistribution to other actors in need.

In Europe, donations of alcohol and production of hydro-alcoholic lotion continue

In Scotland, teams at the Bruichladdich distillery are working hard to prevent any outbreak on the small island of Islay that would put enormous pressure on the already limited resources. Hand sanitizer with an alcohol content greater than 60%, then 80% -in accordance with the WHO formulation advisesis distributed to hospitals, emergency services, nursing homes and places where people interact, such as shops.

Although Greece has coped very well with the pandemic yet, the House of Metaxa has pledged to cover the needs for alcohol of the 13 hospitals taking care of coronavirus patients. Up to 35,000 liters of alcohol will be shipped all over Greece over the next three months, to support healthcare professionals working on the front line.

 A direct collaboration with American hospitals

In the United States, our Westland distillery directly contacted hospitals in the Seattle area to send 500 liters of finished WHO-formula sanitizer out the door. The volunteer bottling teams work every day with the challenge of keeping the stations completely separated from each other. They anticipate outputting 400 liters per day, 7 days per week, starting the week of April 6, supported by one of their main suppliers who has generously donated 60 tons of malt to produce ethanol.

The Hand-Sanitizer Manufacturing Exchange Is Launched in Canada

Cosmetics Alliance Canada, the Canadian Consumer Specialty Products Association and Spirits Canada today launched the Hand-Sanitizer Manufacturing Exchange as part of their efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Hand-sanitizers have been recognized as one of the effective tools in combatting the transfer of the COVID-19 virus and a measure that can be easily and safely utilized by everyone in stopping the spread of this disease.

“Our three organizations have come together to aid in faster, safer and effective scale-up of hand-sanitizer production across Canada”, said Cosmetics Alliance Canada CEO, Darren Praznik.

“People are coming together to do what they can in this crisis but Canadians need access to safe products. DIY hand-sanitizers, the latest trend on social media is at best ineffective against COVID-19 and at worst potentially dangerous. We pledge to do our best to ensure that Canadians have an adequate supply of safe and effective hand-sanitizer for you and your family,” says Shannon Coombs, President of CCSPA.

Developed in collaboration with Health Canada, the Exchange provides a single platform where firms interested in making hand-sanitizer or contributing to its manufacture will be able to exchange information to locate available materials, services or manufacturing capacity needed for production.

The initiative parallels Health Canada action expediting approvals of companies interested in making hand-sanitizer, a product regulated under Health Canada’s Natural Health Product Regulations, part of Canada’s Food and Drugs Act.

The Exchange reminds all interested parties that they should consult Health Canada’s March 242020 bulletin outlining how hand-sanitizer products and the companies making them may seek expedited approvals.

Jan Westcott, CEO of Spirits Canada noted that “As governments all across Canada are mobilizing to ensure the supply of critical medical equipment and health products, we and our Cosmetics and Consumer Specialty Products partners are pleased to be able to do our part in helping with the disinfectant component of the fight.”

Joining the three Exchange developers are the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME) who will host the Exchange on their website.

Websites:

Cosmetics Alliance Canada – https://www.cosmeticsalliance.ca/

Canadian Consumer Specialty Products Association- http://www.ccspa.org/

Spirits Canada – https://www.spiritscanada.ca/

Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters – https://cme-mec.ca/

 

Labatt Breweries of Canada Shift Production to Hand Sanitizer to Fight Spread of COVID-19

Labatt Breweries of Canada is once again mobilizing its Canadian Disaster Relief Program and for the first time, is in the process of shifting production from beer to hand sanitizer across the country in support of the national effort to combat the spread of COVID-19. Initial production will result in 50,000 bottles of hand sanitizer that will be donated to support Food Banks Canada, front line workers and partners in the restaurant and bar industry who are playing a critical role in serving take-out meals in a time of need.

Following the guidelines established by the World Health Organization (WHO), select Canadian facilities will commence the production of hand sanitizer effective immediately. This includes Labatt Breweries facilities in London, Ont., Edmonton, Alta., and Montreal, Que., Goodridge & Williams in Vancouver, B.C. and Mill Street Beer Hall in Toronto, Ont.

“This is a national crisis like we haven’t seen in our lifetimes and we feel an obligation to do everything we can to help through our Disaster Relief Program,” said Charlie Angelakos, Vice President, Legal and Corporate Affairs, Labatt Breweries of Canada. “Our goal is to get this much-needed sanitizer into the hands of those who need it most, especially individuals on the front lines serving their communities as we all pull together.”

Donations of the hand sanitizer will be determined on a local basis where Labatt Breweries of Canada facilities are located from coast-to-coast and arrangements for safe delivery will be made.

“It’s times like these when organizations like ours need more support than ever – to assist the devoted food bankers on the ground helping those vulnerable people in our communities.  We’re so grateful that Labatt is providing us with much-needed hand sanitizer,” says Chris Hatch, CEO, Food Banks Canada. “It’s great to see a Canadian company step up and do their part in helping the community and I’m sure Labatt’s efforts will have a major impact during this difficult time.”

http://www.labatt.com

 

10 DISTILLERIES AND BREWERIES MAKING HAND SANITIZER

With coronavirus infecting over 100,000 people worldwide to date, health authorities have suggested using hand sanitizer as one of the easiest ways to prevent this disease from spreading.

This has led to panic buying the anti-bacterial gel and, now, supermarkets and chemists are starting to run low on hand sanitizer.

The World Health Organization (WHO) provides a recipe for making hand sanitizer at home, but its guidelines recommend using a white spirit that contains a minimum of 60% ABV for it to be effective. Given that most spirits in the UK and Europe are sold at around 40% ABV, this kind of potency is hard to find for everyday shoppers.

As a result, dozens of spirits manufacturers have answered the call and started to make hand sanitizers or high-strength spirits of their own. Some are selling these to local supermarkets, some are asking for donations from their local communities to support charitable initiatives, and some are giving them away to those most in need.

Brewdog, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Brewdog is one of the latest drinks groups to pivot to personal hygiene. The brewer’s spirits arm, Brewdog Distilling Co., is now making hand sanitizer at its distillery in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Mock-ups of the gel bottles were posted on Twitter March 17 and resemblance the company’s new branding, which was unveiled last month.

Brewdog co-founder James Watt said the company is not selling it for profit but is instead “giving it away to those who need it.

Pernod Ricard, France

In France, spirits giant Pernod Ricard said it would donate 70,000 litres of pure alcohol to produce hand sanitizer. The company is working with Laboratoire Cooper, which supplies hand sanitizer to French pharmacies, according to an announcement from the group on Wednesday.

Pernod Ricard’s announcement came as French health officials warned the country could face a shortage of basic resources as it goes into lockdown, including hand sanitizer.

The decision could help pharmacies across the country produce the equivalent of 1.8 million individual 50ml vials of hydroalcoholic gel.

Sébastien Lucot, Managing Director of Laboratoire Cooper, added: “We are very pleased with this partnership with Ricard SAS. Since January we have been steadily increasing our production capacity. It has already increased five-fold in one month, with the demand of pharmacists and consumers being a top priority for us.”

Elsewhere, in Spain and Ireland, Pernod Ricard Spain and Irish Distillers will also put their technical, human and production facilities at the service of the authorities to produce hand sanitizer.

Absolut Vodka, Sweden

Meanwhile, Pernod Ricards subsidiaries have also turned their production to hand sanitizer.
Absolut Vodka has said it will distribute high alcohol neutral spirit in Sweden for use in hand sanitizers.

Paula Eriksson, communications manager for The Absolut Company, has said the vodka producer is “happy to help”.

“We can deliver the neutral alcohol by itself if the receiving authorities can help with the rest,” she tweeted.

She also mentioned on social media that the company had made contact with the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency and the Swedish Department of Health.

Rabbit Hole, USA

And in the US, Pernod Ricard’s Arkansas manufacturing plant and distilleries, which are dedicated to producing its whiskey labels Rabbit Hole (Kentucky), Smooth Ambler (West Virginia) and TX Whiskey (Texas) are producing hand sanitizer for the American market.

Psychompomp Microdistillery & Circumstance Distillery, Bristol, UK

While it is perhaps a simpler process for large drinks companies to lend their services to governments as impromptu sanitizer factories, smaller, independent distillers and breweries around the world have also been doing their part for the local community.

In Bristol, UK, Psychompomp Microdistillery & Circumstance Distillery set about making hand sanitizers with 65% ethanol (it is recommended that hand sanitizer contain an ABV of at least 60% to be effective). The gel is also made with gin botanicals already on-hand at the distillery, and aloe vera gel.

The distiller took action earlier this month after finding their local shops had run out due to panic buying in the local area.

Liam Hirt, co-founder of Psychopomp & Circumstance Distillery, said: “The team wanted some hand sanitizer and everywhere was sold out so we decided to make some.”

Rather than selling the rare commodity on for profit, the distillery offered to add a small bottle of sanitizer to every gin order and placed a donation box at the still house.
Customers are being encouraged to bring their own refillable bottles to top up on hand sanitizer, and the donation box at the facility allows health-conscious locals to pay what they like.

Donations will be handed to Bristol children’s hospital charity, The Grand Appeal.

Annex Ale Project, Alberta, Canada

In Canada, local brewer Annex Ale Project has said it will make around 7,000 cans of hand sanitizer each week for the foreseeable future to supply a grocery store in Calgary, Alberta.
“There are these shortages of hand sanitizer all over the city and the World Health Organisation (WHO) put together basically a recipe for anyone that needs to make it, so I figured if I make alcohol most of the time anyway, why not just pivot a little bit,” owner Andrew Bullied told the Calgary Herald.

Annex will produce hand sanitizer based on the WHO recipe, which uses hydrogen peroxide, glycerol and 80 percent ethanol. It will be made from the wash (the final stage of brewing before distillation), with the ethanol being removed and used in the end product.
In a post on Instagram yesterday (18 March), Annex said it hopes to roll out the product by the end of the week.

“We are in a unique position to do this as a brewery because we have a license to acquire and warehouse distilled spirits and a packaging line to be able to put these products into cans,” Annex said.

The product will be sold as sanitizer refills, so those who buy it will need to pour it into a sealable container after opening, such as a soap dispenser or shampoo bottle.

The brewer is working with Raft Beer Labs, a Calgary-based company that does quality assurance for breweries, to create a production package that “we hope to share with other Canadian distillers and brewers that are legally able to blend spirit.”

Corby Spirit and Wine Limited and Hiram Walker & Sons Distillery, Windsor, Ontario

Elsewhere in Canada, Corby Spirit and Wine Limited and its Walkerville Hiram Walker & Sons Distillery in Windsor, Ont. are proud to announce today that they are producing hand sanitizer.

J.P.Wiser’s Canadian whisky, the historic distillery, has been in operation for over 160 years on the banks of the Detroit River, distilling 180,000 litres of alcohol daily, and today will be adding hand sanitizer to its production line.

“Corby is proud to support the efforts of the Canadian and Ontario governments and communities across the country in fighting the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Patrick O’Driscoll, Chief Executive Officer of Corby. “In coordination with local and senior levels of government, we are utilizing our production capacity and Windsor distillery to help provide hand sanitizer to areas where it is in need.”

The sanitizer will be donated where needed in Windsor, and to the TTC in Toronto.

New York Distilling Company, New York, USA

A number of distillers are also making their own contribution in the USA. Williamsburg-based New York Distilling Company is using its undiluted Perry’s Tot Navy Strength Gin to create bulk hand sanitizer.

The recipe is based on CDC recommendations, using two parts uncut gin (about 85% ABV) and aloe vera gel.

As it is based on their Perry’s Tot Gin, it also contains botanicals, providing a scent of juniper berries, citrus peels, and spices, according to the company.

The hand sanitizer isn’t available for sale, but will be offered to people from selected businesses that have existing relationships with New York Distilling, “as a way of offering solidarity, support, and friendship for the local hospitality industry.”

Yahara Bay Distillers, Madison, Wisconsin

Elsewhere in the states, Yahara Bay Distillers is making its own contribution to the hand sanitizer crisis.

Though it is not specifically making hand sanitizer, the distillery, based in Madison, Wisconsin, is working to bottle a super-strength version of its “Just Vodka,” which comes in at 70% ABV, in the hopes it could be used to kill bacteria.

Nels Forde, the general manager, said in a statement that the distillery doesn’t yet have an approved formula and label to make hand sanitizer, something that could take months to gain approval from the American Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.

Instead, it is selling the high-strength vodka without added aloe or another moisturizing element, and the first 75 customers who purchase it will get a free spray bottle or a roll of toilet paper.

The company hopes to start selling the new vodka today March 19.

LVMH / Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy

Luxury goods group LVMH has instructed its perfume and cosmetics division to prepare its facilities to produce “substantial quantities” of hydroalcoholic gel for the French authorities.

Its brands including Dior, Guerlain and Givenchy will start producing the product from today (16 March) in order to help mitigate the spread of coronavirus.
The gel will then be delivered free of charge to health authorities. LVMH said it will continue to honor this arrangement for “as long as it is necessary”.

Sources:
Drinks Business and Corby Spirit