There are so many things we love about living and making rum in the mountains: the clean air, the unparalleled views, and the incredible access to outdoor recreation. Not to mention the incredibly supportive community! There are, however, some factors we’d love to see change—the lack of diversity is one of them. Our town is over 95% white and our county is 87% white.

We've worked hard to challenge the norm by growing a company that is 25% non-white, and have learned so much in the process. One of the most inspiring parts has been realizing that Millenials and Gen Z (which account for almost three-quarters of our staff) don’t just value diversity—they expect it.

Last winter, we worked with a local BLM (Black Lives Matter) Business Subcommittee to help spread the word that diversity benefits pretty much every aspect of business, from company culture to the bottom line. (Some of our staff—including our JEDI Coordinator, Chloe Bowman—have been dedicating their time and expertise to the group, working to make our community a more welcoming place for people of color.)

We also sponsored a series of 12 educational ads (see the gallery above) in the local newspaper that were also shared through local organizations like the Chamber of Commerce. We’re excited to share them with you, and hope you’ll take the time to click through all 12 ads. We find them to be inspirational—and great reminders why this work is so important. The more diverse our communities and our workplaces become, the more we all benefit.

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