Humboldt Distillery is No. 1 organic vodka in California

The No. 1 bestselling organic vodka in the entire state of California is produced and bottled in Fortuna.

That is the claim to fame for Humboldt Distillery, established in 2013, and located on 10th Street in Fortuna.

“It’s certainly an accomplishment for us,” business owner Abe Stephens said. “There are a number of organic vodka brands out there, including a couple of national brands,” he added, “and among all those brands in the industry, we are the top seller of all of them.”

Stephens credits this consumer choice to expanded sales outreach in the southern part of the state with assistance from Humboldt Distillery’s distributor Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits.

“It’s a big competitive state, not to mention all those national brands,” Stephens said. “We started off just selling locally and got a lot of local support. That allowed us to get a bigger statewide distributor and people just seem to like our vodka.”

He said enough people now know about Humboldt Distillery and like their products, and with the word of mouth, it is making it easier for other people to make the switch to a California brand.

From the beginning, the idea was to incorporate the Humboldt namesake into the brand of the business.

“We are proud of where we are from,” Stephens said, “and we believe that most Californians have a positive association with Humboldt County, be it redwood trees or Humboldt State University or whatever.”

When the business started in 2013, production was a few hundred bottles a month. In December 2021, the production was a little more than 10,000 bottles.

“December is always our biggest month (of production),” Stephens said.

And while production last month was mostly the organic vodka, there was an increased amount of spiced rum also produced over the last several months.

“The spiced rum is really popular around the holidays,” Stephens said.

Stephen’s calls the organic spirits market a niche market and one that presents the consumer with a choice.

“Some of those choices can make a difference,” Stephens said, “organic is better for the environment. If you choose an organic vodka for instance, you can be making a difference.”

All of Humboldt Distillery’s products are certified organic, except Humboldt’s Finest, a hemp-infused vodka. The USDA issues the organic certification which covers how the spirits are made and the ingredients that are used.

“Getting organic ingredients may be making a small difference,” Stephens said. “It makes us feel better and I think our customers (do) too.”

“We are a coastal community,” he said. “I personally like to go fishing and crabbing, and I think the label catches the eye. I hoped that it would stand out for the retailer, and it has worked well for us.”

Humboldt Distillery’s sales last year saw a 50% increase over 2020 and Stephen’s said the goal this year is to hopefully double that. In terms of the number of cases of spirits produced, that would be about 12,000 cases this year.

“We’re still a small family-run company,” Stephens said. “Our successes have been pretty modest relative to the size of the industry, but we feel fortunate with what we’ve been able to do so far.”