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Four fathers have banded together to open a new bourbon distillery in Garrard County. Their company was titled D.A.A.D., which stands for the initials of each founding member.
Aaron Floyd, the CEO and major owner, indicated that their goal is to create a positive impact on the community and complete their life’s objective.
“It was more so for the greater good, for us to fulfill our ultimate purpose in life and just ultimately give back to the community,” he said to Lex18.
These entrepreneurs aim to establish a distinctive line of bourbon that reflects their own distinct personality. The group estimates that it will need roughly $1.2 million to get things up and running, including licenses and permissions.
Despite the fact that two of the company’s founders desire to be quiet partners, all of the founders are actively engaged in talks regarding the profound meaning and aims linked with the company’s name.
They are also motivated to tackle negative perceptions about black parenting through this collaboration. They want to use their experiences in alternative schooling to emphasize the importance of being an involved father.
Making an example of his own experience, co-founder and father of five Antonio Santago, shared, “Growing up without a father, I had a stepfather, and I actually just met my biological father three years ago. After having a long conversation with him, he pretty much explained to me my main purpose of being a father and what I needed to do.”
Floyd, the father of a girl, also remarked, “I talk to my daughter, just normal, letting her know that some things aren’t easy. I’ll always love her; I’ll always be there for her—but I just want her to know that, through the hard work, never giving up, just to show that through everything, any trouble that you may have, anything you’re trying to overcome—just keep on going.”
Furthermore, the group thinks that acquiring the 100-acre plot of property will help influence people’s minds. The site on Water Works Road that they want to buy used to belong to a well-known KKK leader in the neighborhood.
In the 1970s, the KKK had a sizable following. Members thought that they were superior than blacks, Jews, and other minorities because they were white. In response to the emergence of civil rights movements in the 1960s, the KKK murdered civil rights activists, carried out the Greensboro massacre, and carried out firebomb attacks on school buses.
Floyd explained to Spectrum News1 that the area was chosen because “Garrard County is a place where we come to free our minds.” We arrived at the wildlife preserves. It’s really calm and serene.”
They want to use the distillery to bring people together and demonstrate that their dream is an extension of the American ideal.
“I know that we have a lot of mountains to climb, a lot of financial hurdles that we’re currently trying to swim through right now — but we’re just trying to be a stepping stone and just a positive impact,” Floyd expressed.
The founders aim to begin construction and open the distillery to the community by 2025.
