Du Nord Social Spirits Practice What It Preaches

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Editorial photograph

Du Nord Social Spirits is a cause brand that doesn’t want to preach. A Black-owned brand with a diverse team. A social enterprise that’s product-first. It’s about what’s in the glass. Du Nord, America’s first (legal) black-owned distillery, has distilled high quality spirits with a loyal local following since 2013. Then on May 25th 2020 George Floyd was murdered on their block. Riots erupted. The was world changed. Their team was changed. Du Nord was changed.

“From all this, we had a choice: go back to business as usual, or build something better from the ashes of what was.” — Du Nord’s Founders. From the fury came the fuel for change – an industry, a neighborhood, a world. And a brand. Working with the founders and their team of self-described misfits, it became clear that Du Nord Craft Spirit’s current brand, although not broken, didn’t accurately reflect or communicate who they had become and would continue to grow into. Du Nord is dedicated in equal parts to premium high quality spirits and fostering diversity in their industry and beyond. They are social in manner and mission. In addition to growing their brand and changing the liquor industry from the inside, they founded the Du Nord Foundation to address racial inequalities and build economic justice in the Twin Cities. They do this through immediate relief and long-term investing in entrepreneurs and business leaders of color. Sales from Du Nord’s Foundation Vodka support the Du Nord Foundation.