SILO Distillery: Helping Hands, Vermont-Grown Sanitizer
On Monday March 30, Jeff Grembowicz delivered five tons of corn from his North Clarendon farm to the loading dock of SILO Distillery in Windsor. That grain will soon be milled, mashed, fermented, and distilled into ethanol, then mixed with vegetable glycerin, hydrogen peroxide and sterile water to create the hand sanitizer that has become the world’s best friend.
The whole process takes six days, and those 10,000 pounds of Vermont grown corn will produce up to 700 gallons of sanity, tinged with the lingering scent of vodka. “Right now we’re producing between 75 and 125 gallons every other day, but we’ll probably increase production now that we have the systems and supplies down,” says Erin Bell, SILO’s head distiller.
Peter Jillson, who founded SILO Distillery with his wife, Anne Marie Delaney, in May 2013 notes, “We can make vodka and gin till the cows come home. But as we increase our ethanol production, we needed to find reliable source of glycerin and hydrogen peroxide. We just secured that supply line so we’re in a good place right now to serve the needs of our communities. Erin has done a great job ramping up production as demand intensifies.”
Erin agreed it was nonstop the first ten days. “We didn’t think this would become a ‘thing,’ but it did. Now we’re catching up on the backlog of institutional and commercial orders.”
Anne Marie Delaney came up with the concept in mid March. “It wasn’t a big leap from our ethanol production,” Peter says. Erin adds, “The Worthy Kitchen group in South Royalton and Woodstock approached us to make a batch for their staff. I made four gallons because I wanted to help them out. It just grew from there.”
Hospitals, health care facilities, nursing homes, and first responders heard SILO was making the product in strict compliance with World Health Organization and FDA protocols, and the bulk orders started pouring in. Anne Marie handles the calls, Peter orchestrates the spreadsheet, and another staff member coordinates logistics and distribution. According to Peter, “Meeting institutional needs is our top priority. We’re working with places throughout Vermont and New Hampshire, but we’re also receiving calls from Buffalo and Boston.”
SILO also offers the sanitizer free of charge to locals who must provide their own 12 ounce containers. At the distillery filling station, people can also donate cash to three Vermont nonprofits: NOFA-VT, Vermont Foodbank, and the Vermont Covid-19 Fund. “Businesses are paying for the product, and we have a Go Fund Me campaign to help defer the cost of the materials and production,” Peter explains. “We want to support these organizations and our neighbors, and these funds allow us to do exactly that.”
SILO spirits and ciders can be ordered online and picked up at the distillery. Check SILO’s website or social media for hours and updates.
SILO Distillery | @silo_distillery
The Worthy Kitchen | @theworthykitchen
NOFA-VT
Vermont Foodbank | @vermontfoodbank
