OTTAWA -- At Top Shelf Distillers in Perth, their bread and butter is making award-winning gin and vodka.
But like a lot of other businesses, they have recently started making hand sanitizer for people who need it
Garrett Kean, the assistant production manager at Top Shelf, says some of the ingredients in the mixture are getting hard to find.
“We’re trying our best to follow the World Health Organization’s formula,” he said. “We’ve had to use coconut oil in place of the glycerol in our first formula.”
When the ingredients are available, Top Shelf can make up to 1,000 small bottles a day. Calls for the sanitizer have been coming in from across the province.
“There’s about seven hospitals that are in pretty urgent need for it right now,” Kean said.
“We’ve got calls from Canadian Blood Services, the military. It’s pretty well endless right now. We’re hoping to do everything we can.”
Kean says the reaction from the community and other distillers has been overwhelming.
“It’s been absolutely mind-blowing. It’s emotional, it’s stressful, and the amount of love we’re getting from the community is crazy,” he said.
“It’s a really beautiful thing. … The craft distilling community in Ontario is made up of some fantastic, fantastic people.”
If you have donations or want to check the product’s availability, head to their website.
