Clocking In Podcast
Voices of NC Manufacturing, your host Phil Mintz, Director of the North Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NCMEP). We will be interviewing some of the manufacturers who have made North Carolina manufacturing the powerhouse it is today.
Episode 18
Southern Distilling Company
Production Team
Talent/Host: Phil Mintz
Executive Producer: Teresa Bradford
Producer: Shelby Kimes
Sound/Audio Engineer and Editor: Mike Reep
Graphic Designer: Casey Hembrick
E-18: Award Winning Distillery Lends a Hand
Southern Distilling Company: Vienna Barger
A distillery in Statesville, NC, uses their equipment to produce highly sought-after hand sanitizer.
Baking flour, paper towels, bicycles and canning jars. What do all these things have in common? They were all scarce at one point during the pandemic. Another item that was really hard to find on market shelves early in the pandemic and came recommended as a means to slow down the spread of COVID-19 was hand sanitizer. In this interview, I talk to one of the hundreds of distilleries who answered the call to assist with the extreme hand sanitizer shortage of 2020.
Founded in 2013, the Southern Distilling Company is an award-winning distillery located in Statesville, NC. Their product line, Southern Star, was awarded thirteen medals in their first year of production by prestigious international spirits competitions. The company supports farms in their community by making their bourbon, rye whiskey and liqueurs with locally-sourced grain.
In this installment of Clocking In, I speak with the co-owner of Southern Distilling Company, Vienna Barger. Vienna has over 20 years of experience working in the health field. Vienna holds a bachelor’s in child development and family studies from Humboldt State University and a master’s in social work and master’s of Science in Public Health from the University of North Carolina.
In this episode, we discuss how Southern Distilling Company came to be, the legislative obstacles in place throughout the country concerning the production and distribution of liquors, why they began producing hand sanitizer to combat the spread of COVID-19 and more.
Links
About
Phil Mintz
Phil Mintz is the executive director of NC State Industry Expansion Solutions (IES) and director of the North Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NCMEP). At NCMEP, Phil drives outreach to NC manufacturers, builds relationships with federal and state leaders and coordinates efforts to drive profitable manufacturing growth in the state. He also leads the broader IES extension operations outreach unit of regional managers, technical specialists and business development leaders providing business engagement, assessment and improvement tools. This includes statewide peer networks, ISO 9000 quality management systems, Six Sigma, Lean manufacturing, environmental services, and health and safety solutions.
Vienna Barger
Vienna Barger is the co-owner of Southern Distilling Company. Before founding the company in 2013 with her husband Pete Barger, Vienna has over 20 years of experience working in the health field. Vienna holds a bachelor’s in child development and family studies from Humboldt State University and a master’s in social work and master’s of Science in Public Health from the University of North Carolina.
