“Pure Paradise” by Ashley Anderson, Style 2013
Transcript of “Pure Paradise” by Ashley Anderson, Style 2013
PureParadise
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Writer, Ashley Anderson
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Stylist Editor, Lori Kommor
Photographer, Robert Burge
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More than 4,000 miles from Louisville lies
a distillery making waves in Maui, and
beyond, due in large part to the creative
expertise of one local entrepreneur, Don Freytag.
The Chief Marketing Offcer and Sales Director of
Ocean Vodka has helped expand the award-win-
ning Hawaiian brand of vodka, which launched in
2006 by CEO Shay Smith’s family, who founded
Hawaii Sea Spirits. While sitting on a porch sip-
ping a French brand of the Russian-born spirit, the
Smiths concocted the ingenious idea of using min-
eral water sourced 3,000 feet below the Kona Coast
to make a new type of vodka.
“The key difference of Ocean Vodka is the miner-
als in the water: calcium, magnesium, potassium,”
Freytag said. “The great thing about it is that those
really amplify favor when you mix it (with other fa-
vors and beverages).”
In addition to using mineral water, Ocean Vodka is
made with organically-farmed sugar cane on a so-
lar-powered farm and distillery. Thus, Ocean Vodka
is the only spirit made with the sun, the ocean and
organic earth. It’s also 100 percent Certifed USDA
Organic and gluten-free.
Ocean Vodka’s organic farm and distillery features
32 different varieties of sugar cane that are trans-
ported to 60-foot, 132-platelet column stills pro-
duced by Louisville’s own Vendome Copper and
Brass Works. “We went to them because we knew
they were the best in the world, it really wasn’t be-
cause of Louisville,” said Freytag. Ocean Vodka
achieves optimal purity through its state-of-the-art
distillation techniques, which separate impurities
by controlling the heating and cooling of the spirit.
The distilled product is cut to 80 proof, the equiv-
alent of 40 percent alcohol, with the deep ocean
mineral water.
As of late April, the public has been able to par-
ticipate in the manufacturing process by touring the
new organic farm and distillery. “It was always our
dream to be able to buy a piece of land and then
move our operation there and really take people
through the entire story of how we make Ocean
Vodka, starting with the planting of the sugar cane,”
Freytag explained.
With today’s consumer more interested in where
and from what a product comes, Ocean Vodka,
along with its facility tours, have made a huge
splash in Maui. The 80-acre Ocean Vodka Organic
Farm and Distillery is open for tours four times a
day, seven days a week. The farm illustrates the
company’s mission to create a superior, organic,
value-added agricultural product. The company
supports the local economy, competes globally on
quality, operates with environmental responsibility
and raises awareness for oceanic conservation.
Areas covered in the tour include sustainable farm-
ing and manufacturing processes, organic spirits
production and the local history of sugar cane farm-
ing with species identifcation. A Martini Garden
tour will highlight fresh, local ingredients such as
Kula lavender, local citrus, passion fruit, pineapple
and strawberries.
While the tours help grow awareness of the brand
on the mainland, Freytag has spread the word of
Ocean Vodka to the rest of the U.S. Since join-
ing the company around 2009, Freytag has taken
Ocean Vodka from distribution in three U.S. states
to 30, including Kentucky, and three Canadian prov-
inces. The former Brown-Forman employee, with
more than 15 years of spirits experience, has relied
on the impact of social media as well as sampling
and targeted event marketing around flm festivals
or surfng-oriented festivals.
Don FREYTAG
continued on page 105
Chief Marketing OffiCer and SaleS direCtOr Of OCean VOdka
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Photographer, Kristin Hetterman
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Photographer, Kristin Hetterman
“We’ve found that Ocean Vodka is a
very viral brand," he said. “When we sit
people down and tell them the story and
give them a taste, they love it, because
a lot of people have been to Maui or
Hawaii and it reminds them of their ex-
perience there. And then for those that
have not ... it makes them want to go.”
Hawaii Sea Spirits and Ocean Vodka
also place importance on giving back
to oceanic causes, such as Surfrider
Foundation. This non-proft organiza-
tion works to protect and preserve the
world’s oceans and beaches.
As Ocean Vodka continues to grow,
the company is looking to expand even
further. Freytag said Hawaii Sea Spirits
could soon launch an Ocean Rum and
possibly create an Ocean Bourbon.
As for Freytag’s role with Ocean Vodka,
he’s enjoying the challenges of fostering
larger growth and traversing back and
forth from Louisville to the paradise of
Hawaii. “I’m a lover of islands, and to
have corporate headquarters in Maui
is pretty much a dream come true,”
beamed Freytag, who became involved
with Ocean Vodka through a classmate
from Harvard Business School. “It’s a
very fun job. It’s also very gratifying be-
cause I can see where the company was
when I joined them, and I can see where
we are now.”
For more information on Ocean Vodka,
visit oceanvodka.com.
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continued from page 101
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Photographer, Robert Burge
OCEAN KULA LAVENDER LEMONADE (Created by FOUR SEASONS LANAI)
IngredIents
• 2 oz. fresh vanilla infused Ocean Vodka• 3 oz. fresh lemonade• ¼ oz. lavender syrup or 3 sprigs fresh lavender• Sugar for rim
PreParatIon
Muddle 2 fresh lavender sprigs in the bottom of a shaker, add
drop of vanilla extract if vodka is not already infused with fresh
vanilla. Rim glass with sugar. Add remaining ingredients and
bruise. Pour into glass and garnish with remaining lavender sprig.
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Photographer, Trish Barker
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OCEAN WATERIngredIents
• 2 oz. Ocean Vodka• 4 oz. coconut water• Muddled mint leaves• Dash of agave syrup• Splash of soda
PreParatIon
Muddle mint leaves at the bottom of a shaker. Pour remaining
ingredients into shaker over ice. Shake vigorously and pour in a
short glass of ice. Garnish with a sprig of mint and a slice of lime.
IngredIents
• 2 oz. Ocean Vodka• 1 oz. fresh lemonade• ½ oz. fresh lime juice• Splash fresh mango juice• 1 tsp. muddled lemongrass• 1 tsp. crushed ginger
PreParatIon
Muddle lemongrass and ginger in a
shaker. Pour remaining ingredients
into the shaker over ice. Shake
vigorously and pour in a chilled martini
glass. Garnish with a sprig of basil.
IngredIents
• 3 oz. Ocean Vodka• 3 bleu cheese hand-stuffed olives
PreParatIon
Pour into a cocktail shaker over ice
and shake vigorously. Strain into a
martini glass. Garnish with 3 bleu
cheese hand-stuffed olives.
OCEAN BLEU MARTINI
OCEAN GREEN FLASH
More Great reciPeS
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