Fresh off claiming they didn't have enough money to properly pay their workers a living wage and trying to hire scab workers, Heaven Hill has announced they have acquired Samson & Surrey. For those unfamiliar with Samson & Surrey, they have $40 million dollars in annual sales and have been growing at 60% per annum so we can assume the cost wasn't cheap (no financials of the sale were disclosed).
Max Shapira, Heaven Hill President says:
Throughout our 86-year history, our focus has been building a business with a portfolio of great brands sold through a great team. The Samson & Surrey portfolio strategically enhances our portfolio with emerging brands in strong growth categories. Together with their team, Heaven Hill is poised to leverage the tremendous potential of these exciting brands.
The brands included in this sale include:
- Widow Jane American Whiskey
- Tequila Ocho
- Few Spirits
- Brenne French Whisky
- Bluecoat Gin
- Mezcal Vago
My Take
It's not the best look to spend millions of dollars after having workers on strike for six weeks over preserving affordable healthcare, increasing pay, maintaining overtime provisions, and strengthening retirement security. It goes to show that Heaven Hill had plenty of money to pay their workers but would rather nickel and dime the workers only to buy up other companies. Additionally, while researching this article, I learned that another one of their brands (Blackheart Spiced Rum) is partnered with noted anti-vaxxer Jenny McCarthy. Again, not a great look during a pandemic that has killed over 900,000 American's.
It's unfortunate in that we want the companies we follow to do the right thing and reflect our values... after researching and following Heaven Hill for the last few months, it's clear they don't care about anything other than their profits... As consumers, we have a choice on where we spend our money... For me, I'm going to be dropping all future Heaven Hill brand purchases... those brands include Few, Whiskey Jane, Heaven Hill, Evan Williams, Elijah Craig, Old Fitzgerald, and Pikesville. It may not make a difference to their bottom line, but there are a ton of bourbon brands out there... and I don't want to feel like I'm supporting a horrible company or horrible people when I purchase from one.
What do you think? Drop a note in the comments below.
Source: Heaven Hill
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