"Transforming the Beverage industry"

Kristen Anderson founded Drake’s Organic Spirits with her husband, Mark Anderson, in 2017. By that time, she had lived in North Dakota, Montana, and Minnesota and had a deep understanding of farming, including the chemicals that far too often sneak their way into the food and eco-system. “Mark, having grown up on a farm, knew firsthand what goes into mass-produced field crops, and we both wanted to offer consumers something that was ‘better for you, better for the planet,’ so much that we even trademarked that phrase,” says Kristen.

Kristen adds, “If you’ll pardon the pun, we went against the grain to create a company that offers the most natural beverage alcohol we can, based on organic sugarcane rather than GMO grain.” This allows Drake’s Organic Spirits to reduce soil erosion, chemicals, pesticides, and carbon emissions for many reasons. First, sugarcane can be harvested twice a year for four years, creating 8 crops, before the ground must be tilled and replanted; on the other hand, corn must be tilled and replanted every year, just producing one crop before both depleting the soil and disrupting it with tilling. In addition, GMO crops are engineered to repel toxic herbicides and pesticides, so are sprayed with even more chemicals to aid fast growth, thus contaminating the air, ground, and water when they run off from fields. All of this is counter to the mission of Drake’s Organic Spirits.

Taking it even further, Kristen and her husband were the first – and are still the only – spirits producer to be certified in all five sustainability and organic classifications: all of their products are USDA Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, OU Kosher, Vegan per Vegan.org, and Gluten-Free per the Gluten-Free Organization. Each of these certifications is achieved by rigorous inspection from the respective certifying body and requires consistent management and regular re-inspection to maintain. While this is a costly annual process, Drake’s makes this investment because although the duo knows their farms and factories follow proper protocol, they want the consumer to have absolute certainty that the claims are valid. “A recent survey of 2,000 Americans and Canadians found that 41% are more likely to buy USDA Organic and 36% saying the same for Non-GMO Project Verified,” explains Kristen. “We continue to see those percentages rise as the larger population begins to embrace and value sustainability, and as a result, Drake’s Organic Spirits has enjoyed an accordingly rapid growth trajectory.”

When Kristen was gaining her footing as an entrepreneur, she was lucky to receive support and encouragement from many other women: it started with her mother alongside several women in the business world who helped her along the way. “In turn, I now try to mentor anyone who seems to be seeking that kind of support. It started at home where I did my best to raise strong, independent daughters,” elucidates Kristen. “I am also active in female-focused professional groups, such as Women of the Vine & Spirits and the WSWA Women’s Leadership Council.”

There is a lot of innovation that Kristen admires in the beverage alcohol space, but what she has noticed is that often this innovation comes with a setback. For example, there is innovation in flavors, yet the compromise is an increasingly unhealthy product. There is innovation in product packaging while environmental responsibility is ignored. It’s a double-edged sword as our responsibility toward the planet seems to take two steps back with every step forward. “Of course, this is not to discount the countless brands and products that are moving toward being more sustainable; rather, it’s a comment on the demand of mass consumerism that companies are rushing to meet,” says the pioneering leader. “Despite this, I would say consumer awareness of sustainable practices has greatly pushed the spirits industry towards more responsible production means, and Drake’s was founded on just that! From a consumer perspective, I am constantly seeking out products that are organic and non-GMO, so it was a no-brainer when founding Drake’s.”

The newest initiative from Drake’s Organic Spirits is selling its organic cane spirit B2B, offering a portion of its annual 12 million proof gallons of organic cane alcohol to distillers, copackers, blenders, flavor houses, extract manufacturers, and other companies seeking high-quality, sustainable organic alcohol. “We are also always marketing in new ways: our latest push is via LinkedIn. This year we were proud to win our first Growth Brands ‘Rising Star’ award from Beverage Dynamics, as well as debut on the Inc. 5000 list; now we are going after some ‘female founders’ awards. Also, on the B2B front we are exploring new trade associations and directories. And all of that is just the tip of the iceberg!” adds Kristen.