Litty Mathew: Greenbar Distillery

05/04/17 • 55 min

Becoming the largest organic spirits company in the world takes a careful balance between having a point of view and appealing to a broader market. And no one is as attuned to that dilemma as much as the founders of Greenbar Distillery. As craft distillers and immigrants, founders Litty Mathew and Melkon Khosrovian have learned to embrace the tension between being unique and fitting in. Litty—of South Indian descent, but born in Ethiopia and raised in Jamaica—met a sharply-dressed Armenian man—Melkon—over a spilled cup of coffee on the first day of class at USC. It was love at first sight, and a few years later they started Greenbar together, bonded by their love of ethnic food, a good cocktail, and for each other. It might sound too cute to be true, but the origin story perfectly captures the ethos of their company.

We sit down with Litty to talk shop about manufacturing craft spirits. She gives a sneak peek of their new packaging, which is being unveiled this week, and I get a taste of some of their products as we learn about the high tech equipment and processes they use to produce them. When they started, they were the 38th distillery in the country, and became the first in Los Angeles at least 100 years. They paved the way for others through old-fashioned regulations and adoption of new technologies and new flavors; now thousands of other distilleries across the country are nipping at their heels. They didn’t start out organic; we hear the story behind that pivot, and the challenges behind getting the right flavor with real ingredients. She tells us about the critical moments in their company’s history, from when her parents doubted her, to when they almost went bankrupt during the recession. They had to go back to the drawing board to rethink that tension between craft and scale.

For more information, photos, and links, check out the show notes at http://makeitinla.org/littymathew.

The views expressed on The Art of Manufacturing podcast are those of the guests, and not our sponsors or partners.

For more information, photos, and links, check out the show notes at http://makeitinla.org/littymathew.

The views expressed on The Art of Manufacturing podcast are those of the guests, and not our sponsors or partners.

Previous Episode

Bethany Shorb: Cyberoptix and Well Done Goods

A Detroit manufacturer tries retailing. But sometimes the hardest part about growing your business isn’t collapsing ceilings or managing inventory. It’s learning to let go.

Bethany Shorb is the founder of Cyberoptix. Her fashionable and subversive ties have been a cult favorite for fans like retired Apollo astronauts and celebrities like Chris Hardwick and Talking Heads frontman David Byrne. And she just launched a retail store in Detroit called Well Done Goods.

I was curious about the challenges of expanding into retail, and what she’s learning now that she’s on the other side of the table. She has a few pointers for growing brands and aspiring artisans. We also get a virtual tour around the east side of Detroit, and hear about the city’s crazy ride since she moved there two decades ago. She shares some tales about opening a store amidst Detroit’s ageing infrastructure, including steam explosions, people dying, and ceilings caving in. But the hardest part about growing her business? Learning to let go. It’s hard when you have high standards, and Bethany shares her journey and some approaches she’s learned along the way.

For more information, photos, and links about this episode, check out:

Show notes http://makeitinla.org/bethanyshorb

Cyberoptix https://www.cyberoptix.com/

Well Done Goods https://welldonegoods.com/

Tom Sachs’ 10 Bullets video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49p1JVLHUos

The views expressed on The Art of Manufacturing podcast are those of the guests, and not our sponsors or partners.

Next Episode

Rodney Mullen: godfather of street skating

In this episode, “the godfather of street skating” Rodney Mullen reveals his insights on the history and future of skateboarding. He invented most of the foundational tricks used today—including the flat-ground Ollie which allows skaters to pop their boards off the ground—and he co-founded the largest skateboard company in the world in the 1990’s. Despite his worldwide fame, Rodney is a bit of an enigma to his millions of fans, but in this interview we delve into some parts of his past he hasn’t shared before. We trace the pioneering path of World Industries through times of greatness and trouble and to greatness again, and we discover some leadership and innovation lessons along the way.

He tells stories of forklift races, mutiny, and late nights of drinking with the Chinese as they grew the company. We peek behind the scenes to hear how they designed and manufactured their boards, and their pioneering approach to cultivating talent. Rodney shares the challenges of catering to a culture driven by rebellion, and the dilemma of brands that want to scale when “selling out” is the worst thing you could do. We hear about Rodney’s comeback, and how technology and innovation are impacting the future of skateboarding as he looks to his next venture.

For more information, photos, and links, check out the show notes: http://makeitinla.org/rodneymullen

Best of Rodney Mullen video (darkslide at 4:02)

Steven Sebring's Liminal video in Rolling Stone

The views expressed on The Art of Manufacturing podcast are those of the guests, and not our sponsors or partners.