School of Industrial and Labor Relations alumnus Raymond Disch ’80 transformed his business to fight COVID-19 in his community.

From spirits to hand sanitizer: Raymond Disch ’80 pivoted his New Jersey distillery to battle COVID-19

Before the coronavirus pandemic, Raymond Disch ’80 focused on bourbon, gin and brandy production at his New Jersey distillery, Sourland Mountain Spirits. With the public health crisis placing a high demand on hand sanitizing products, Disch has reconfigured most of his manufacturing to meet the growing need.

“Within two weeks, our main ingredient — non-GMO, neutral grain — went from helping people celebrate life to helping save it.”

Since early April, Sourland Mountain Spirits has delivered over 2,000 bottles of hand sanitizer to New Jersey hospitals.

In compliance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention standards, Sourland Mountain Spirits makes its hand sanitizer by distilling 92% alcohol into 80% alcohol and mixing it with aloe vera and hydrogen peroxide. Since starting production in early April, they have delivered over 2,000 bottles to New Jersey hospitals and donated to local nonprofits. Eager to make an impact on the pandemic’s frontlines, Disch hopes to meet the needs of local health care systems, first responders and nonprofits before expanding sales.

A version of this story was originally published by the School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

Learn more about how the Cornell community is responding to COVID-19.