It’s been an amazing journey so far for us at AZ Bitters Lab! When we started making bitters as a hobby we never thought it would take on us on this path. We just wanted to have some fun, learn new stuff, and enjoy research and development (aka imbibe some cocktails). Instead, making bitters has led us on an incredible adventure that we could not have imagined.
We are well into our second year of business and want to take a moment and give thanks. We have been blessed by meeting so many amazing people, receiving such great and loving support from the local and national community, and having wonderful opportunities come our way. First and foremost, we give thanks to our Father for blessing us in this process and may we do good with what He has provided. Thank you to our family, especially our Moms, and our friends for helping and encouraging us throughout this process. Thanks to our mentors, guides, teachers, business partners, and collaborators for sharing your wisdom, bringing us alongside, and inspiring our creativity and drive to do more. Thank you to our customers who have purchased our product and may your cocktails always be delicious.
Has it all been fun and games? No! It’s taken a lot of time, hard work, blood, sweat, and tears (and cocktails!) to build up our business. That’s a lot of work for our small team of three, which includes Mom, who is nice enough to provide free labor for her kids. We’ve done it all from washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen to packaging up boxes for mailing and sending invoices. We can say that we’ve held every position in our company and do so with love and passion for what we’re doing. So, we’re far from our original hobby, but we love every minute of it.
We are looking forward to new adventures in 2014, which includes growing our business and branching out in new areas. When we started the business we knew one of our goals would be to focus on giving back. Why give back, you ask? Hey, we’re lucky to make a great product that is enjoyed by folks who are eating and imbibing well. Seems like a no-brainer to us; we have been so blessed by the business in so many ways, so let’s give to people that need a blessing. And when we think about people in need, we think about people affected by hunger and food insecurity. We enjoy our great meals and cocktails, yet so many don’t know where their next meal is coming from for themselves or for their children. So, our plan is to help support efforts to address this critical need.
We are excited to announce that we have formally partnered with two amazing organizations that provide food to people: United Food Bank (UFB) and Feed My Starving Children (FMSC).
United Food Bank provides 51,000 meals a day to those in need right here in the East Valley and eastern Arizona. UFB estimates over 1.2 million people in Arizona and one out of every four children in Maricopa County are food insecure. Feed My Starving Children tackles world hunger by sending volunteer-packed, nutritious meals to over 70 countries. Last year, FMSC delivered 133 million meals world-wide. Both organizations are four star rated by Charity Navigator, have low administrative costs, and have great employees and volunteers. Our goal is to support these vital organizations with our time, talents, and treasure. We’re small and may not be able to contribute a lot at this time, but every little bit helps. As a food and drink community, we, collectively, can make a huge difference.
We ask that you check out these two great organizations and keep an eye out for future updates on our efforts to help combat food insecurity. There is something all of us can do and no effort is too small. We hope this is just the beginning of great things to come and look forward to seeing where this path takes us.
Again, thank you. It’s because of YOU that we’re able to continue on this journey and may we do good things with your support. Cheers!