By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
HOULTON — One of the Shiretown’s biggest recent success stories in the business community has decided to close its doors and relocate to central Maine.
Twenty 2 Vodka, owned and operated by the husband and wife team of Scott Galbiati and Jessica Jewell, has closed the doors of its Houlton distribution center and is in the process of relocating.
“We are in the process of relocating our operation to Brewer,” Galbiati confirmed Friday. “We have had a couple opportunities come our way recently, and this is the next chapter for our growing company.”
The two founded the Northern Maine Distilling Company in 2006, and released their first batch of Twenty 2 Micro Distilled Vodka in September 2009. Five years in the making, the idea to create a vodka company began as a business plan for a one of Galbiati’s college courses.
Jewell, a native of Monticello, met Galbiati, a New Jersey native, while the two were attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. The two were in the engineering program, where Jewell received a degree in chemical engineering, and Galbiati earned a degree in engineering science and sociology.
The couple brewed their first vodka with potatoes, but found their product was very similar to Cold River potato vodka of Freeport.
In its four-year history, Twenty 2 Vodka has won numerous awards, including Double Gold in 2012 at the San Francisco World Spirits Competitions and Gold for Quality at the 2011 MicroLiquor Awards. Twenty 2 Vodka is available in bars, restaurants and liquor stores in Maine, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., and Maryland. They also make High Proof Spirits designed for infusions.
The couple was also named the 2011 Entrepreneurs of the Year by Leaders Encouraging Aroostook Development (LEAD).
“Houlton and the greater community have been great to both Jess and I,” Galbiati said. “We’re sincerely going to miss the town we’ve called home for the last four years, but we are excited for what the future brings us.”
“We’re sad to see them go,” said Houlton Economic and Community Development Director Lori Weston. “Scott and Jessica are forward thinkers. But we understand that hard decisions come up when running a business. During these economic times, you have to do what’s best for the growth of your business.”
For more information, visit www.twenty2vodka .com, or www.facebook .com/twenty2vodka.
