CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Persistence paid off for Taylor Redd, the owner of Redd Rose Vodka, who can now proudly spot bottles of her liquor at ABC Stores across the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area.
Redd said it's been a dream that's been several years in the making.
"I own a liquor. It almost makes you feel like you are P. Diddy," Redd said. "Like I own a whole brand and it’s just really exciting.”
Her business vision first began as she was bartending to make it through law school. From there she became a master mixologist.
“Learning about the different liquors and the different brands and one day I was like... I wonder if I can own my own brand," Redd said. "I wonder if I can create something that women can actually enjoy.”
She began working with a third-party distillery to help develop the perfect liquor balance that she describes as 'sweet but not too sugary.' And from there Redd Rose Vodka was born.
"I decided on the strawberry lemon first because that’s what stood out to me the most so I know it will stand out to my audience the most," Redd said.
Yet creating the vodka was only step one. Actually getting the liquor approved to sell in ABC Stores required several more steps -- including federal and state permit applications, along with a request to the NC ABC Commission that accepts the orders.
"It's a very long process," Redd said. "If I wasn’t as persistent as I was I don’t know how I would be able to keep pushing through the barriers.”
Redd is one of the few Black female liquor owners in the state. Since the special order code for her brand Redd Rose Vodka was approved back in October, records show that the Mecklenburg County ABC Board has ordered 30 cases of this product, and the Wake County ABC Board has ordered four cases.
“It’s been selling tremendously," Redd said. "I’m getting messages left and right, like, 'They sold out of this store where else can I go?'”
Her next goal is to create a new flavor of vodka and eventually open up her own distillery in Charlotte. You can connect with Redd and follow her journey online.
Contact Briana Harper at bharper@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.