We recently connected with Hannah Lusk and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Hannah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
Mission: To inspire people to embrace a fearless approach towards their dreams with a devotion to responsible living.
I grew up in a small town in the heart of Arizona. The strongest woman I know is my mother. She was a single mom of 3 and we were often left at home, alone while she worked many jobs to support us. When I reached the age of 15, I told my mom that I wanted to leave home and she let me. I worked 3 jobs and slept on couches vowing to never ask my mom for help. By the time I reached 19 I met my children’s father whom I spend 10 years with. 6 years dating and 4 years married. In 2014 I found myself crawling my way out of an abusive relationship and started to rebuild my life with 2 kids under the age of 5. The divorce was finalized in 2016 after a very painful and turbulent period. I buried myself in work and hired a live-in nanny to help with my kids. I realized that I was repeating the cycle of my childhood with my mom. I believe the most important job in our lives is raising our children. I knew I had to make some changes in order to spend more time with them. At the time, I worked as The Food & Beverage Director for The Rim Golf Club, a private golf club in Payson, AZ. I received a 5-liter aging barrel from one of our vendors as a gift and I began to experiment with ingredients. Coming up with a manhattan recipe that we sold as a batched cocktail in the restaurant. I look back now on those days and even though it was one of the hardest jobs I have ever had, it was also one of the most rewarding. Although, I am not a heavy drinker, I do like to experiment and I believe that you can enjoy a cold beverage without taking it to extremes. Being fascinating the makeup of alcohol and the many different flavor profiles. How the flavor changes based on so many variables from the soil that the grain grows in to where the aging process changes the makeup and profiles you taste. I became a Sommelier in 2018. During that time I also moved into Real Estate and decided to create my own liquor brand. I began to research how I could build a legacy for my children with this new business endeavor and compete in a completely saturated market. In 2018 I also joined the board for a local Domestic Violence Shelter. I wanted to give back to a cause that I was personally affected by. I now serve as the President of the board to bring awareness to domestic violence. I realize that alcohol is involved in a lot of domestic violence situations in our country. The purpose behind my mission statement is to be a living example that you can enjoy alcohol in moderation, be a thriving survivor of domestic violence and advocate for bringing awareness. I had many sleepless nights on how I was going to do this. There were times where I asked myself if this was the right path I was supposed to be on. I came to the realization that I cannot push aside that the statistics are true and that maybe by my example, I can bring more awareness within my position. Hannah & Hooch represents a brand that advocates for a lot of community outreach. I absolutely believe that we can be an example for men, women and children that anything is possible and if you pursue your dreams you can build a lasting generational legacy if you keep pushing forward. If you continue to use your failures as lessons and your success as an inspiration to those who may need it.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
My name is Hannah Lusk and I am a 4th generation native of Payson, AZ. I have worked my entire adult life in many different industries. I have learned so much over the years and I have a passion for knowledge and experience. I believe that whatever obstacles you face, you have the ability to learn and create a better version of yourself through those experiences. I use my experiences as motivation and inspiration to be a better mother, business woman and person.
In 2012 I started working at The Rim Golf Club, a private golf club in the heart of Arizona. The golf course is a top 10 private golf club in the country. I was the Food & Beverage Director with 25 employees an managed private and public events for a 10,000 sq foot clubhouse. I was instrumental in creating an event called The Wine in the Pines. The event still goes on today bringing together consumers and industry professionals around the history, flavor profiles and brand stories that culminated exclusive access to wines from all over the world allowing consumers to taste an assortment of wines and purchase them at a discounted rate.
In 2018 I created Hannah & Hooch and became a liquor wholesaler in Arizona in 2020. We launched a Straight Rye Whiskey into the market that we macerate in black cherries, inspired by my batched manhattan recipe. We launch a month after COVID shut down the country. Manufacturing was affected by the shutdown and since there was no roadmap for creating your own liquor brand at the time, it was boots on the ground and a lot of research that brought us to this point. I hold multiple liquor licenses all the way from the Federal level to the Local level. The process has not been easy. I have accomplished all of these obstacles myself with excellent support from my friends and family, a wonderful community and a stubborn drive to succeed and never give up. In February 2022, we won a gold medal at the TAG Global Spirits Awards in Las Vegas in the American Whiskey category. We attended the event and were very honored to receive this award in our first year of Hannah & Hooch on the market, especially being the “low Woman on the Totem pole”. There were thousands of contestants and many industry professionals judging the whiskey. It was a lifetime experience and one I hold close as a great accomplishment in the infancy of my brand.
In 2021 Food & Beverage magazine published an article named “Women entrepreneurs who inspire” Featuring myself and my brand Hannah & Hooch alongside some wonderful women who inspire through their entrepreneurship.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
In 2005, I was 19 years old at the time when my mother suffered 3 life altering strokes. She spent months in the hospital. Finally going to a rehab facility and then we got her home. She has a nurse that comes over to help care for her. She has lost most, if not all of her memories. Being a single mother of 3, a breast cancer survivor and now a stroke survivor, made me realize at a young age that life is short and not promised. My mother is my hero and my inspiration. To this day she has a smile on her face despite what she has been through. She is the definition of resilience. I believe that hardships in life have a greater lesson than winning even though it can be painful and we may not understand it at the time.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
Many years ago I received a 5 liter American Oak barrel from a vendor as a gift. Knowing I didn’t want to put wine in it, I decided to experiment with whiskey. After curing the barrel, which involves soaking the barrel in water to expand the wood and seal the barrel, I filled it with an unaged American whiskey called white dog mash and let it sit for 6 weeks. I would taste the whiskey daily and measure the different color, aromas and flavors. American whiskeys are aged in large oak barrels, sometimes up to 53 gallons. Those barrels take years to age because of the liquor to wood ratio. I decided to add sweet black bordeaux cherries to the barrel and let the whiskey marinate for 3 weeks. I would have tastings to gauge how the public may like it and shared with friends and family. I decided to explore how I could create my own whiskey brand. After many years of research, Distilleries, liquor licenses, Federal, State and Local requirements, my brand Hannah & Hooch is on retail store shelves and almost every restaurant in my hometown. In the 4th quarter we will have managed to get it in every corner of Arizona. In February 2022 we entered the TAG Global Spirits Awards in Las Vegas competing for the American Whiskey category. We left Vegas with a Gold Medal in American Whiskey. A very humbling experience. We look forward to what the future brings for Hannah & Hooch.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hannahandhooch.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannahandhooch
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hannahandhooch
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-lusk-861079139/
Image Credits
Matt Davis – Axis Culture Group