Pernod Ricard USA, the parent company of brands like Absolut Vodka and Jameson Irish Whiskey, is switching gears to help in the fight against coronavirus. The wine and spirits leader is retooling their manufacturing sites in Arkansas, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Texas to produce thousands of gallons of hand sanitizer that will be donated to critical facilities in the areas of greatest need.
Cheddar spoke to Ann Mukherjee, CEO of Pernod Ricard USA, who said that retooling the company’s manufacturing sites was actually pretty easy. She explained the whole process took three days and now Pernod Ricard USA distilleries are churning out hand sanitizer instead of bottles of liquor.
“When you start with ethanol as the base of making spirits, having spirits manufacturing then convert to hand sanitizer was not that difficult,” said Mukherjee.
Photo credit: Pernod Ricard USA
The next shipment of over 6,000 gallons of hand sanitizer will go to the New York Police Department.
And Pernod Ricard USA has no plans to stop hand sanitizer production until the need is met. “This is a time of need where companies and CEOs need to step up. We have a society right now that needs to be taken care of,” said Mukherjee. “This is giving us a sense of purpose.”
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