Micil Distillery has announced that it is joining the effort of Irish distilleries to help combat COVID-19 by producing alcohol for hand sanitiser.
The Connemara gin maker, which also produces a range of traditional poitíns has paused production of its spirits to free up its supply of alcohol and begin manufacturing antibacterial hand sanitiser to help meet local demand in the face of the COVID-19 crisis.
Re-focus
"Last week, we found ourselves facing a period of huge uncertainty in terms of our business's survival. We were unsure if we would be able to make it through the storm in light of the recent closure of the bars to whom we supply our spirits, as well as our visitor centre here in Galway, another stream of income that our business relies heavily upon," said Pádraic Ó Griallais, founder, Micil Distillery.
"However, we were conscious that we were not unique in this and so, rather than worry about what the future held for Micil Distillery, we decided to re-focus our energy into doing what we could to help in the face of a national and global crisis."
"This is not about profit for us. We're hoping to sell the hand sanitiser as close to cost as reasonably possible, and donate it for free to those who can't afford to pay," he added.
"When all of this is over, we want to be able to look back and know that we did our best to support the most vulnerable in our local community, as well as those at the frontline helping the people who need it most."
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