NAPA, Calif. -- A Napa distillery that produces more than 40 wines and liquors has started producing hand sanitizer from the grapes grown in Napa Valley.
"I think it might be the only and first sanitizer ever made it Napa Valley," says Arthur Hartunian of Napa Valley Distillery.
The stilled economy has already forced Hartunian to lay off seven of his employees, the latest cuts coming Monday.
His focus now has shifted from spirits to sanitizer.
"We generally make whiskeys, vodkas, rums, and gin... but because of the virus, we've switched our operation to hand sanitizer."
Hartunian says it's about mixing the proper alcohol, oils, aloes, and essences. He says the spray sanitizers they're producing have 80% alcohol in them, which makes them stronger than most store bought products. He says the grapes used in their white wines are also being used in the sanitizer.
"The hand sanitizer that we make basically uses the same materials that we would use to make our vodka."
Napa Valley Distillery is offering to give you sanitizer for free if you show up to their Napa location. They are currently out of spray bottles but, if you bring old spray or shampoo bottles, they will fill those up.
Hartunian does plan to eventually sell the sanitizer online but only to those folks in other areas. "We figure the more hands that are sanitized, the faster we'll lick this thing and get back to normal life."
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