By Nancy Price
Right after Hoosier Brewing Company temporarily closed its doors on March 22 in response to the coronavirus crisis, the staff began manufacturing hand sanitizer for the public and first responders.
“Once we posted to the community, letting them know we were offering it, we were overwhelmed with requests for donations,” said Brian Nentrup, founder and managing partner for Hoosier Brewing Company. “Most of those were requests from our fist responders who had no supply or very low.”
The Greenwood location has donated hand sanitizer to a number of police departments, including IMPD, Indiana State Police Department, Franklin and Hope, as well as most of the fire departments in those areas.
gallons of hand sanitizer donated by Brian Nentrup of Hoosier Brewing Company in Greenwood. (Submitted photo)
“We manufacturer the sanitizer based on the TTB, the governing agency over our distillery and from guidelines from FDA/WHO,” Nentrup said. “We have given over 100 gallons at this point (one-gallon bottles) and are trying to get a source for enough bottles that we can offer to the public.”
The Danville Police Department reached out to Hoosier Brewing, expecting to purchase the sanitizer. When Detective Andrew Pride arrived to pick four gallons of sanitizer, he was surprised to learn that there was no cost, according to Nate Lien, public information officer for the Danville Police Department. “For us, we still have to work every day and work with the public; hand sanitizer is hard to find. This has been great for us.”
Nentrup said the distillery is selling the product to businesses that can afford to contribute. “We suggest businesses contribute $100 per gallon, which helps offset the number of donations,” he said.
Businesses can help by purchasing gallons online at order.hoosier.beer and donation requests can be made at donations.hoosier.beer. For more information, please visit Facebook/Hoosier Brewing.
