Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Cross.
Hi Ashley, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Gin has always been my “go to” spirit of choice. My first illegal drink, purchased with a fake ID borrowed from a sorority sister, was a Gin & Tonic. My college cat was named GT. As a foodie, I was drawn to the complexity of gin: literally from the entire world of optional botanicals to the challenges when crafting a spirit that demands balance. After 23 years as a public educator, I found myself burned out, underpaid, overworked and in need of what I described to my husband as “a New World.” Education is all-encompassing and I had reached a point in my career / reputation that my classes were overfilled and my energy was depleting in the face of what I saw as an impossible ask. I wanted to go back to the beginning of something new. I wanted a fresh canvas to work and I wanted to experiment with flavors and art and design. I wanted to work in an environment where, at the end of the day, I could go home and relax, recharge and reenter the next day without the feeling that there are not enough hours in the day to complete what was expected of me. So, yes, in a nutshell, a career in education drove me to drink…well, sort of!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been smooth. Let me clarify. The first three years were smooth: 2017 – 2019 gave us a somewhat unrealistic view of what owning a small, craft distillery in the state of Utah would be like. People were excited by the prospect of a new, transparent, exciting alcohol manufacturing facility and folks visited, traveled, and partook of our products. Then, as we all know, March 2020 turned the world upside down. We went from a staff of seven to a staff of two. Imagine surviving three years without tours and / or tastings at a craft distillery! And survive was basically all we did. We were thriving in the years prior to Covid and then everything came to a screeching halt. We returned to tours and tastings in 2023 at about the time inflation hit small businesses hard. The cost of goods, from raw materials to glass to fruit has skyrocketed and people are simultaneously holding their purse strings a bit tighter these days. Distilleries that source and repackage seem to be doing much better than those of us who actually manufacture our products on site. Our expenses are different and our clientele may share some things in common, but one of those things is an increased conservatism in regard to spending habits. We are hopeful that things will “get better” as cliché as that sounds, but in the meantime, we are dealing with barrel shortages, astronomical freight costs and other realities that sometimes make us feel like we are wading through chest high mud.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
It has always been of utmost importance to us that our bottles and the bottle art are as superior as the spirits inside the bottle. We have a vision for both and while we can master our production practices to ensure the highest quality spirits, neither I nor my husband is an artist when it comes to executing design ideas as art. As such, we spent a lot of time seeking out artists who could bring our concepts to life on a bottle. When we first moved to Utah, I was awe struck by the number of dragonflies in our small mountain valley town. I immediately knew that I wanted my Gin bottle to reflect a dragonfly with fossilized wings containing hidden, iconic, Utah images. I could see it in my mind but I couldn’t draw it. One day, while browsing in a gallery in downtown Ogden, we found a pen & ink line sketch of Edgar Alan Poe. We knew immediately, that the artist was the sort of artist we needed. Long story short: we bought the print, tracked down the artist and to this day, he remains our primary bottle artist when it comes to executing our ideas. We are definitely known for the artistry and beauty of all our bottles. We designed a custom version of Myahuel, the Goddess of Agave, for our Agave Spirits line and compiled parts and pieces of her that we have seen and photographed on our travels. We brought them back to Tyler, our artist, and pieced together the most beautiful, custom version of her that adorns all our Agave Spirits bottles. We’ve taken photos of local mountain ranges, cherry blossoms and other landmarks and incorporated them into our bottle designs. We have closely studied colors, textures and other artistic nuances to make sure that what dresses the outside of our bottles is as beautiful as what defines the inside of the bottles. We are also known for our precision and replicatablility in terms of our production practices. What sets us apart from others is that nothing is sourced and repackaged. Our thoughts, our hands and our passions touch every single product that leaves this building and that defines our commitment to craft and our reputation as producers in this industry.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
1. Double or triple the cost of everything when you are estimating.
2. It is better to hire less people but people of higher quality. The best workers are those who can do the work of many. They are more appreciated and hands on than a long string of staff. We are now up to four employees, ourselves included. It feels perfect, even though we, as owners, seem to be here all the time.
3. Don’t copy the successes of others, artistically. Do your own thing! And trademark it!
4. Go home at night and leave work at the workplace, even if that means you have to go in extra early the next day. I found this impossible to do in the field of public education.
Pricing:
- We manufacture all products on site, which means higher prices, in general, than distilleries that repackage.
- Our tours have been awarded many accolades, including Best of Utah and are nominally priced for the work involved.
- There comes a time in life when high quality consumables are simply worth every penny!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.newworlddistillery.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newworlddistillery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newworlddistillery
Image Credits
Mike Parkinson of Wild Utah Photography
