How We Generated Over $3M In Sales In One Year

Umberto Luchini

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Published: April 22nd, 2022

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Umberto Luchini

Founder, Wolf Spirit Distillery

$300K

revenue/mo

Founders

Employees

Wolf Spirit Disti...

ourwolfspirit.com

from Eugene, Oregon, USA

started March 2017

$300,000

revenue/mo

Founders

Employees

Discover what tools Umberto recommends to grow your business!

Discover what books Umberto recommends to grow your business!

Contagious: Why Things Catch On Jonah Berger

The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less... Chris Anderson

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Busi... Charles Duhigg

Want more updates on Wolf Spirit Distillery? Check out these stories:

1. How We Launched A New Product And Reached 90% Of Goal Revenue This Year (2020) ➜

2. How I Started A Vodka Brand Doing $100K/Month (2019) ➜

This is a follow up story for Wolf Spirit Distillery. If you're interested in reading how they got started, published over 4 years ago, check it out here.

Hello again! Remind us who you are and what business you started.

Ciao, Umberto Luchini, founder of Wolf Spirit Distillery from Eugene OR. We are a craft producer of lifestyle brands, from vodka to bourbon and mezcal.

Our core brands are:

Blood Sweat Tears Vodka from our Eugene distillery
Puncher’s Chance Kentucky Bourbon, from the home of Bourbon, Kentucky
Bosscal Artisanal Mezcal, from Durango Mexico
Tom of Finland Organic Vodka, from the land of the purest water in the world

With this wonderful portfolio, we have been able to generate over $3M in sales in the last 12 months, and this with the known challenges craft distillers have been facing throughout the pandemic.

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Tell us about what you’ve been up to! Has the business been growing?

We have been working hard to get through this pandemic without too many disruptions in our original plans. First on our task list was the development and launch of a new Kentucky Bourbon. A brand that stands for two strong American traditions (a) Kentucky Bourbon and (b) fighting for what you believe in. Many of us feel the underdog in life, but we all know that there is always that odd chance of being able to overturn fate and with just that, a puncher’s chance, win !

With the successful launch of the bourbon, which was welcomed with excitement as a new entry in the world of American whiskey, we were able to open up over 30 markets and sell well over 10,000 cases in the first 12 months. The problem is now being able to keep up with demand. A good problem to have, but still a problem.

In the meantime, BST, our vodka for the misfits, has had to deal with the closures of bars & restaurants as well as the impossibility of participating in and hosting events around the country. The brand has proven resilient despite this and has sold nearly 10,000 cases with strongholds in Southern California and Florida.

Last but not least, our new addition; Bosscal Mezcal. Three unique variants, the Organic Joven, the Damiana (from the plant present in the Durango region of Mexico), and the Conejo (rabbitt) which follow the traditional pechuga method of production of mezcal.

We launched in April and are already sold out. We are very excited about this new addition to our family of brands.

Tom of Finland Organic Vodka will kick off a series of unique events in 2022 when we hope the pandemic will be behind us and allow us to interact with consumers more often.

What have been your biggest lessons learned in the last year?

Resilience was essential these last 18 months. Like most, we had no clue if our business would’ve made it through, but we rallied together and made the necessary sacrifices to keep our financial situation as viable as possible. We cut our salaries and avoided furloughs for our employees. Whilst we can’t say everything is back to normal, we are a bit more optimistic about the immediate future.

Have fun along the way. Enjoy the journey and don’t obsess about the destination. Your people will appreciate it and you will come out a better person.

The big learning out of all this: give your best every day, enjoy the little moments of pleasure, and don’t obsess about the future. Everything can change in a few hours, even an instant, and the positive moments lived, will never be taken away from you. And as an Italian saying my dad always told me “good does not last, evil does not reign”.

What’s in the plans for the upcoming year, and the next 5 years?

We stay focused on our overall mission: to create lifestyle brands that disrupt the system. And by the system, I refer to the old-fashioned Bev Alc business.

In light of this, we are planning our next brand, a gin brand from our distillery in Eugene. A creation of our Chief distiller, Ben Green, with the crucial contribution of our Chief Officer of Good Times, Mr.Pickles, Ben’s ever-loved pit bull.

Prepare yourself for another outstanding brand, with incredible packaging, a very very smooth liquid, and a compelling name. To be released in spring 2022 will mark the 5th product in our portfolio.

Have you read any good books in the last year?

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg- A fascinating book that explores the collision between the increasingly sophisticated scientific understanding of habits - how they’re formed, how they can be disrupted and changed - and, among other things, companies’ efforts to use that knowledge to steer our habits and money their way.

Advice for other entrepreneurs who might be struggling to grow their business?

Don’t lose hope in these daring times and go back to my key 3 lessons:

(1) Focus on your cash flow and be sure you have enough reserves to resist 4/6 months with little sales – basically be ready for rainy days.

(2) Pick a strategy (marketing, sales, commercial), stick to it for at least 12/16 months, and then evaluate. Change too soon is a recipe for the destruction of value.

Have fun along the way. Enjoy the journey and don’t obsess about the destination. Your people will appreciate it and you will come out a better person.

Are you looking to hire for certain positions right now?

In 2022 we will expand our sales force, both on the West Coast and probably in Texas. Nothing to openly advertise right now.

Where can we go to learn more?

Website:

All our social media handles can be found on each website.

Our revamped Wolf Spirit website is now a platform that offers sales of our brands as well as very cool merchandise. Drop by, surf a bit, and buy yourself a cool t/shirt or a baseball cap. Soon we will have other items like punching gloves and table games. To make our daily lives a bit more pleasant.