Monashee Spirits Craft Distillery has halted producing spirits to make a surface disinfectant for free.
“We’re going as fast as we can to make it,” said Josh McLafferty, co-owner of Monashee Spirits.
When the COVID-19 crisis first started to cause shortages, McLafferty said he was chatting with a lady in Save-On-Foods who needed a disinfectant for her arthritis injections.
Jenn and Josh McLafferty and the owners of Monashee Spirits, which normally distills a variety of vodka, gin, brandy, whiskey and liqueurs. (Liam Harrap/Revelstoke Review)
McLafferty said a byproduct of making spirits, is a surface disinfectant made from pure ethanol that he usually throws away. Instead, McLafferty realized he could start giving it away to people in need.
On March 16, McLafferty made a post of Facebook, advertising the free disinfectant. Since then, he said the need has exploded.
McLafferty said he’s getting phone calls from doctors in Vancouver, the local Revelstoke RCMP, BC Hydro - all of them needing more disinfectant.
One day, McLafferty said he donated more than 40 litres.
Now, McLafferty is solely producing the disinfectant, using raw materials that would have otherwise been used for making spirits, which is said is costing the company thousands of dollars.
“There are more important things than money,” said McLafferty.
He said if people need surface disinfectant, it’s best to reach out to him on Facebook or Instagram. There’s also a shortage of containers, so he continued it’s best to bring your own.
Dialogue and debate are integral to a free society and we welcome and encourage you to share your views on the issues of the day. We ask that you be respectful of others and their points of view, refrain from personal attacks and stay on topic. To learn about our commenting policies and how our community-based moderation works, please read our Community Guidelines.
