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A Portland-based distiller of spirits will start producing hand sanitizer and channeling donations to nonprofits serving Maine communities in response to the coronavirus.
The Portland Press Herald reports that Maine Craft Distilling has hired five new employees, who now work at the distiller’s Washington Avenue distillery and Public House in Portland to assist with its new production line. Hundreds of customers have been visiting on a daily basis to pick up hand sanitizer.
Customers are also leaving tips and making charitable donations, which have been redirected to various local organizations, it said.
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“Our customers and all Mainers are dealing with an unprecedented global pandemic, and it’s important for us to give back to our community and those in need,” the distillery’s founder and CEO, Luke Davidson, said in a news release. “We will keep producing the hand sanitizer as long as we need to.”
Manufactured in accordance with the World Health Organization’s formula, the hand sanitizer consists of 80 percent denatured alcohol plus hydrogen peroxide and glycerin. It can be used in spray bottles or applied directly on hands, the Press Herald reports.
The distillery said it has produced more than 4,000 quarts of hand sanitizer in a matter of weeks, and raised more than $15,000 for several nonprofits.
The company produces whisky, gin, rum, brandy and vodka, among other products, according to its website.
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