Today we’d like to introduce you to Gerald Christian.
Hi Gerald, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Hopefully by presenting parts of my life story, I can inspire people that we can overcome numerous obstacles that are presented to us in life when we least expect them.
In 1985, I started with nothing became the world’s largest alfalfa farmer (20,000 irrigated acres) and started a trucking company as well.
In 2001, I became and developer and started a fuel company with gas stations. The fuel company was rated the 365th best and fastest-growing companies in 2007. I was also a finalist for the 2007 entrepreneur of the year in the Entrepreneur Magazine in 2007.
I was involved with many real estate projects, the last one, I went through the state process extending the urban growth area and annexed it into the city. People said it could never be done, but my team and I did it.
The project was for a 400 high-end home lots with a golf course. I used 10.5 mil of money that I had saved in the bank from my businesses.
The bank I was with at the time approved me for an additional 30 mil for what I needed for the infrastructure for the project, then one day a few weeks after I obtain the loan approval, I received a call from my banker informing me that my bank had been shut down by the FDIC, so here I am, with 1000 employees without any lines of credit, all my cash invested into the project and no funding, this was in 2008.
Over 25 years of building the successful businesses came to a sudden halt.
In 2010, I moved to Vegas ready for a new start. I frequently traveled there, and I had quite of acquaintances prior to 2008, as my whole lifestyle was taken from me.
After I moved to Las Vegas I hit a very low time in my life. I had to borrow money from my parents and sisters for food and rent since I only had $20 to my name with no credit.
What a pitiful disgrace I felt like, even though I never let people see the struggle I was going through, I never gave up.
I always wanted to start a business in Las Vegas and one day, I was thinking how much I hated the taste and smell of vodka and I thought of the name Hierarchy and thought that would be a great name for a vodka, I traveled all over trying to come up with the perfect formula and process to manufacture it.
I found a distillery only 3 1/2 hours from where I previously lived, and I did it!
The vodka received numerous awards across the country. So, I went from nothing to worth over $150 mil and back to nothing. I always knew what it took to be successful, and it was time to start all over!! And never give up, do what’s right and accomplish your dream!
You find out who your real friends are when your down, most seem to disappear out of your life, while others will take advantage of your situation. Everyone is your friend when have a tremendous amount of money and when you don’t, they are gone. But I do believe it made me a stronger person as I figure out my future.
I never told anybody about my struggles, and you learn how to adjust to your situation. The days of going out were gone, I just didn’t have the money so all I did was work. The same way I did when I first started my other companies.
Keep in mind my friends are billionaires, celebrities, professional athletics, and the everyday person prior to 2008.
The Rolling Stones have drunk my vodka on stage at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It never ever mattered to me who you are, I have always tried to treat everyone the same, no matter what you have or don’t have, it doesn’t matter what race you are if you’re a good person, you’re a good person!
I’ve been asked what makes you so special? Treating everyone how I want to be treated, fair, with honesty and doing things for people without any expectations in return and most of all, do what you say you will do.
Before I moved to Las Vegas, I was introduced to Jason and Harry Mohney, they own Dicks Last Resorts, Hustler Clubs, Dejavu clubs, Cat’s Meow Karaoke, and numerous other ventures around the world. They are amazing hard-working people, one night Harry a billionaire and I picked beer bottles up at one of his clubs while they had a packed event going on there. So, you have a billionaire and guy in a suit picking up bottles so the customers would have a great environment around them. I was the guy even in a suit, the only way I know how to achieve things are to work hard and just like Harry I would never ask an employee or person to do something that I wouldn’t do.
I’ve been asked what are your dreams of the future? It isn’t about money like most people think, it’s about being able to take care of your children, family, relatives, friends, and employees benefiting from hard work and relentless never give up attitude! That is what I would say is what drives me. But yes, having money does help tremendously.
I’ve been asked what are your goals? I have a lot of goals, I want to be the best with everything I do, And I will!
When I basically lost everything due to my bank getting closed, I sued them and the FDIC, no attorney would take the case telling me I would never win and to file bankruptcy! I couldn’t do that because I felt like I didn’t do anything wrong.
I represented myself as I attempted to obtain an attorney to handle my case, I finally found one after three years and we negotiated $800,000 settlement. They paid me in small payments as they sold my assets, of course most of it went towards paying people back and a small portion went into the vodka company. In the agreement, I couldn’t tell anyone for three years and I could not file bankruptcy.
My life from purchasing anything I wanted to no credit or money was very difficult, but I knew I could rebound. I drove Uber and Lyft in Las Vegas in a car my mother financed for me. I drove 12 hours a day, seven days a week for three years as I was working on the alcohol company, I met numerous celebrities and I can elaborate on those stories if you like later. I promoted my products driving Uber and Lyft by having product sheets in the back of my car and my license plate was Hierarchy the brand name of my first vodka.
As I was still driving Uber and Lyft, the Mohney’s requested I go to New Orleans and see their managers and that they would purchase some product from me.
When I was there, the distributor I had at the time said to me that I should purchase a distillery of my own and he took me over to see one in New Orleans. The owner of a distillery that was having difficulties, he of course was attempting to get his $2.4 worth of debt paid back to a local credit union. I thought there was no way I could this accomplished, but I had to try.
In six months, the Credit Union contacted me to see if I wanted to purchase it so I went back to New Orleans to see what I could do at this time. It took about 8 years to get my credit score from 480 up to 685 and the Credit Union took a chance with me, and I purchased the distillery operations for $600,000 which they financed for me and gave me a $600,000 operating line.
We knew it could take up to a year to obtain the federal and state licensing to open the distillery.
I obtained all permits in seven months and opened the NOLA Distillery in 2019.
In 2020 I was finally getting the operations cash flowing and COVID hits, shutting down our country and City of New Orleans, so at that time, my one employee that I had left, and I made 5 gallons of hand sanitizer. One of my friends texted me and asked me why I was wasting my time, I never said anything and continued the project. I eventually made over $400,000 over the next few months which kept the distillery in business.
As that money dwindled due to COVID, I fell behind on my lease payments on the distillery to the landlord, one thing I have learned in business most the time if you communicate with people, you can figure and work things out. I informed the landlord as soon I could reopen due to the city closure mandates; I would send him the payments as well as the past due to payments and thanked him for working with me. Which I did.
Then out of the blue, I got contacted by his attorney informing me I had two days to come up with $70,000 or I would be evicted, so here I am with another major obstacle in my life, wanting not to have any of my friends or business acquaintances to lose anything I contacted my distributor in Louisiana and told him my situation, he called me back in a few hours and told me NBA legend Karl Malone would pre pay me $30,000 for product, and then I contacted Jason Mohney and he loaned me the another $30,000 that I needed. I had them both secured by making sure I had product at their location to pay them back if everything fell through with the distillery. Then the Credit Union I financed the distillery assisted with the other money I needed.
It’s amazing how things happen, 15 minutes after the payments were made to the landlord, I received approval for an SBA loan and the funds from it showed up the next week.
The moral of my life is that by using the values that are learned from your family and never giving up, we can get through most situations. I have tried to learn from my mistakes in life and business do what’s fair and right.
It’s still difficult with the COVID restrictions in New Orleans and the world, but as hopefully by reading part of my life story, it will illustrate to entrepreneurs and everybody you can survive various setbacks in life if you are determined and never give up on your dreams! I am so grateful for everything in my life, good and the bad and proud to be in our great country.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
HS Beverage Inc. operates a distillery located at New Orleans, LA at 3715 Tchoupitoulas St. The distillery has been in operations for 3 1/2 years.
Producing our own products as well private fulfillment for our customers has given us a tremendous advantage financially and with quality control.
We have numerous tourists come to our distillery from all over the world. Our goal is to give them an adventure interacting with the process of manufacturing alcohol by having tours, handcrafted bottle sales, event area (for concerts, social and business events) and a merchandise store.
We presently are producing vodka, rum, dark rum, gin, whiskey, and hand sanitizer under various brand names we have created. We also produce brands associated with New Orleans and Louisiana.
Our current brands consist of:
• Cootie Killer Hand Sanitizer
• NBA Legend Karl Malone’s Legends Trinity Vodka
• Dallas Cowboys Roy Williams and BJ Johnson’s MVP Vodka
• Mardi Gras Special Edition NOLA Vodka
• 3 Ugly Ones Vodka, Blended Whiskey, Rum, Gin
• Louisiana Tradition Vodka, Whiskey, Gin, Brandy and Rum
• 1933 Bourbon, Rye, Wheat Whiskey, Vodka, Clear Rum and Dark Rum
At our distillery and tasting room in New Orleans, we offer a unique combination of advantages that are unmatched by our competitors. Compared to the other distillery options, we differentiate ourselves by offering a unique handcrafted spirits options (tours, cocktails, daiquiris, and can sale bottles direct to the customer), a better variety of handcrafted spirits and hand sanitizers than other most distilleries and a stronger focus on local and sustainable ingredients.
Our handcrafted spirits and experiences are more exciting, less predictable, and more suitably than the other distilleries.
We incorporate our ideas in New Orleans utilizing the tremendous amount of tourism bringing a unique experience for our customers that visit our region.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Sometimes you win, but most of the time, you learn. If you are determined to make your goals, handwork and dedication is needed. Everyone has ideas, but it takes execution to make them a reality.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@nola-distillery.com
- Website: www.nola-distillery.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noladistillery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noladistillery
