We recently connected with Connie Baker and have shared our conversation below.
Connie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.
Marble Distilling Co. built the first of its kind Water Energy Thermal System (WETS). Distilleries typically require exorbitant amounts of water and energy for the distillation process. Marble made a decision to start from Zero, rather than work back to net-zero and worked with a team of engineers to ensure our low impact on the environment. Our systems saves more than 4 million gallons of water and harvest +1.8 billion BTUs of energy each year used to heat and cool our building and five luxury Inn rooms. We are working on zero waste in the production facility and will be net zero electricity by the end of 2022, thanks in part to our large solar array. We source only Colorado grown grains and return all spent mash to the local farms (within 1 mile) that grow them to feed their livestock. We invite our customers to Drink Sustainably and help us Save the Planet, One Bottle at a Time and are the 1st Craft Distillery to be invited to join the Distilled Industry Spirits Council of the US (DISCUS) on their Sustainability Committee. We are The Most Sustainable Distillery on the Planet.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Located in the heart of Carbondale, Colorado’s Creative District, the Marble Distilling Co. (MDC) is a family and friends owned company born of passions for both craft distilling and theSustainable Business Model. With an ever-growing list of recognition for both their award-winning craft spirits and innovative sustainability practices, Marble Distilling Co. is a pioneer of sustainability and zero-waste distilling, with a motto to “Drink Sustainably.”
After distilling school in 2010, Connie Baker toured numerous distilleries and realized she wanted to make craft spirits but in a sustainable manner, not the “norm” of an industry set in its ways. Developing a team of engineers and working with a LEED certified architect that would help create “The Most Sustainable Distillery on the Planet”, Connie and her husband and partner, Carey Shanks broke ground in 2014 with their dream to Drink Sustainably and built the lowest energy building coming out of the ground under the new Carbondale green code in 2015. Utilizing family recipes and developing partnerships with local ranchers, coffee roasters and community organizations, Marble has become known for its sustainable spirits that taste amazing and it’s commitment to giving back to the community.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
As a female entrepreneur, there have been many roadblocks to working in male dominated fields – the construction, the distilling world, the ranching world. I have learned to never give up and always BELIEVE. I was turned down by eight banks prior to finding one that committed to the construction loan. I never said NEVER and knew I could make this distillery dream a reality.
Have you ever had to pivot?
A recent pivot, I like to say Pandemic Pivot! The Marble Tasting Room, which is the hub of our business, was repeatedly shut down during the pandemic and even once reopened offered very few tables, and there were very few customers. A week after the shutdown, Marble Distilling moved all their front of house staff (bartenders, servers, etc.) to working in the distillery making hand sanitizer. We did not have to let any staff go and kept all our employees very busy. Each morning, there would be a line of people waiting outside our window with their own container to fill with sanitizer (we could not get any bottles, as supply chain was in shambles). We gave away so much sanitizer before we could manage to get bottles and sell some, but our community stepped up. People would tip our staff or ask to purchase a bottle of Marble Spirits to take home, and we were able to keep the lights on. It’s been a long haul, but we made it.
Contact Info:
- Website: marbledistilling.com
- Instagram: marbledistillingco
- Facebook: marbledistilling
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MarbleDistillingCo
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/marble-distilling-carbondale
Image Credits
Michelle Cardamone Jack Affleck Ian Roth