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SoCal Distilleries Churn Out Hand Sanitizer
Bottles of the alcohol that Santa Ana's Blinking Owl Distillery would normally produce next to the hand sanitizer it's currently producing during the coronavirus pandemic. Courtesy of Blinking Owl Distillery
A couple weeks ago, we told you about how several Southern California distilleries — including Portuguese Bend in Long Beach, AMASS in DTLA and Blinking Owl in Santa Ana — had revamped their operations and were gearing up to make hand sanitizer. Here's an update.
Blinking Owl is producing 2,000 gallons of hand sanitizer per week and starting next week, they'll increase that to 4,000 gallons per week.
Hand sanitizer being produced at Blinking Owl Distillery in Santa Ana. (Courtesy Blinking Owl Distillery)
The operation has already produced 1,000 16-oz. bottles. Some were donated to restaurants and small medical facilities while others were sold to the general public via the distillery's website. Yes, people snapped them up.
The distillery is also producing hand sanitizer in 1-gallon tubs and 55-gallon drums, for industrial use. Blinking Owl co-founder and CFO Robin Christenson tells us the company has been working around the clock to fulfill demand.
According to Christenson, several local hospitals, nursing facilities, public agencies and private businesses have already placed orders. They include the cities of Santa Ana, Anaheim and Carson, as well as UC Riverside, the Culver City Police Department, Memorial Hospital Fountain Valley, Amazon, Aldi and local Tesla dealerships.
Christenson says Blinking Owl has also donated some of its hand sanitizer to Cedars Sinai Marina Del Rey, CHOC Hospital, the Salvation Army and multiple small healthcare facilities.
READ MORE OF OUR CORONAVIRUS & FOOD COVERAGE:
- SoCal Distilleries Start Making Hand Sanitizer Instead Of Liquor
- How Carnicerias, Liquor Stores, Tienditas And Latino Supermarkets Are Feeding Their Neighborhoods
- How LA's Restaurant Industry Is Trying To Save Itself — And What You Can Do To Help
- Little Tokyo Fights To Preserve Its Soul In Face of Coronavirus
- How You Can Help Feed Our Health Care Workers