We say, “Thank you!” to all the folks at the storytelling site Bold Journey, who have featured Amy Brown, co-founder of Doc Brown Farm & Distillers, and story of how we got started. Bold Journey is a website that often shares the perspectives of women who are strong in life and in business. Because part of our mission is to celebrate female leaders in the distilling industry, this was a welcome opportunity for us to show others that launching a bourbon brand according to your own values is totally achievable.
Y’all can read the article below, as it originally appeared on Bold Journey. Let us know what you think.
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Meet Amy Brown
February 27, 2024
We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amy Brown a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Amy with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
Early 1972 my Dad came home from his ‘day job’ as the Maytag Man for Sears and Roebuck and informed the family that we are becoming ‘Red Wiggler Worm Farmers’. Now, this was nothing new for my parents to have their full-time careers AND what I call ‘side hustles’.
Each and every day, after school, my siblings and I had to attend to the worm beds that were scattered all over the micro farm we grew up on. Oh we ‘hated it’ and thought our parents were making us work too hard…. but looking back in life’s rearview mirror I can see now my parents were, and still are in their mid 80’s, the wisest people I know.
You see, creating side hustles that the entire family can be involved in taught us so much that transfers into entrepreneurship and building a company from the ‘dirt up’. We learned responsibility is part of life and that being a dependable employee is often more valuable than being the smartest but lacking work ethic. We learned how to work together as a team and delegate certain aspects of the chores so that the work got completed faster thus giving us more play time. We learned that a higher education comes with a price tag. We learned that a good night’s sleep is the reward for a hard day’s work.
So, for this question, ‘where did I get my work ethic from’? The answer is unequivocally is my wonderful and wise parents, Rennis and Janice Brown.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Doc Brown Farm & Distillers is a family owned, family run business based in Senoia GA. Currently, we are Georgia’s ONLY Seed to Still farm and only a handful of such across this golden land we share. From planting the seed to bottling the end product, we do it all and take great joy in using old fashioned farming techniques. We grow Non- GMO Jimmy Red Corn and Non- GMO Abruzzi Rye that we distill into some of the best Bourbon and Bourbon Creams on the market. Our farm is at the heart of everything we do and we take great pride in growing grains that produce America’s only native spirit. Bourbon!!
Our Bourbon creams have won several awards including Best of the South for the prestigious magazine, Garden and Gun.
Soon we will release a new line of Whiskey’s called the Day Swigger. A quick easy sip of some fine whiskey grown on the farm we love.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Specifically speaking about the bourbon farm journey, I would say its a combination of a few things. Work Ethic as discussed earlier. Entrepreneurial DNA running thru my blood. And 32 years in the corporate world of banking where critical and strategic thinking was a must and used daily. So, when you combine an Indefatigable work ethic with strategic thinking sprinkled with a risk taking entrepreneurial spirit it makes for a fun and exciting journey.
I’m not big on giving advice as each person’s journey is different, but I would say to make sure you know your craft better than anyone on the market and put the time in that it takes to build a company from the ground up. Most folks have a distorted vision that owning your own company is a walk in the park and as we all know, this is not the case. Secondly, get connected with folks who are smarter, richer and more successful than you are and glean from then every ounce of knowledge you can. Those connections are vital to growth for any company wishing to succeed.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
In 1816 my 4th Great Grandparents left Ireland for the ‘promised land’ called the United States of America. They came with the clothes they could pack in their trunks and a bible.
Generation after generation, our faith in God has been handed down and the Bible is the one book I turn to every single morning to gain wisdom and direction for my day.
Of course from the Bible stems the golden rule – treating others as you would want to be treated. If each of us would embrace this one nugget from that wisdom filled book this world would be a much better place. So, on this farm, we believe that this is God’s earth and that it’s our duty to take care of it. We also believe we are here to follow Christ’s example and let love and kindness guide our steps.