Women at Work Diversity in the Distilling Industry
What it’s like for women who make liquor for a living
Published on January 29, 2021
Author: Vanessa Infanzon
When Chemist Spirits owner Debbie Word decided to open a distillery in downtown Asheville, N.C., she visited lending institutions in the area. Each one turned her down.
“They were always men I was speaking to,” Word said. “The reaction was universal. I walked away every time feeling like they had zero confidence in me and in the business model.”
Word launched Chemist Spirits in 2018 without borrowing from the banks. “I thrive on a challenge. The fact that they didn’t have any confidence (in me) fueled my passion to make this work and make them realize that this was a great idea and business plan,” she said. “In the end, it spurred me on. They made it hard but made me more determined.”
Debbie Word, owner of Chemist Spirits in Asheville, N.C., is shown in this November 2019 photo taken at her distillery. She says that when she launched her company in 2018, she was the only woman at the table. The men directed questions to Word’s male employee. “It was a struggle to even get anyone to look me in the eye,” she said. (Photo by Jill Schwarzkopf / Realities Photography and Chemist Spirits)
Word also faced challenges at meetings with local business owners. In the early stages, when she met with male brewery owners to collaborate, she was the only woman at the table.
The men directed questions to Word’s male employee. “It was a struggle to even get anyone to look me in the eye,” she said. “They basically acted like I wasn’t in the room.”
Word understood what was happening and conspired with her male employee: He redirected all questions to Word at future meetings. “I started speaking up more in those situations,” she said. “Since then, things have changed dramatically.
“I’ve met a lot of the brewers and the makers in the community; I’ve gained more confidence,” Word said. “I’ve come a long way, and they’ve come a long way. I garner the respect I was looking for.”