Doug Hawke is a Sherwood Park-based entrepreneur who is passionate about the distillation process and never settling for average. Beginning his career as a welder, he invented his own one-of-a-kind continuous distillation process to create a full range of premium alcohol spirits through his family owned distillery, Hawke Prohibition.
Tell us about your childhood and how you grew up.
To start, I was born on reservation and unfortunately, there is a lot of substance abuse on reservations. My mom and dad had a horrible fight so she took me to the neighbours to keep me safe. Then, the neighbours took me to their neighbours, who took me to their neighbours, which went on and on. At the end of all, they just had no idea who this kid was. So, I went into social services for the first few of my months known as “Baby X”, which is what our Vodka is named after. Until they were able to track down my actual biological parents and find out who this baby is, I was in the system. Once they tracked me down, they identified me as Douglas, and I was put up for adoption where I was adopted by my now parents who were good people.
What career did you leave to start Hawke Prohibition with your partner?
Originally, I was a pressure welder and did that for around 20 years. I taught at NAIT as a welding instructor for three years and at a private college, then got into safety. I honestly don’t know why, I was looking for something different. This brought me to Alana and I met her while taking a construction safety course. I sat down beside a cute girl and then she wouldn’t leave me alone. Who knew that this would all start with what brought me here!
Tell us about how you pivoted your business during the pandemic.
This business had $365 left in the bank account and the pandemic was in full crisis mode. People were taking a serious hit and it’s something that we had never seen before. We knew the community was in trouble because you couldn’t buy hand sanitizer. Things were so different. So, Alana and I talked one night and we made the decision. We asked ourselves “You know what this community needs? Hand sanitizer”. So we put a sign on the door that we weren’t accepting any walk-ins and we got to work. We started off doing it illegally, but we said “fuck it” this is what our community needs right now. The first few rounds were free, then we started thinking we could make it a business. But the ingredients were expensive, and we hated every hand sanitizer on the market. So Alana and I sat down and we developed the best hand sanitizer that can be used for kids and won’t crack your skin. We took on a contract and we ended up doing 100,000 bottles of 120 ml with 12-14 people working here. At our peak, we were doing 13,000 bottles a day and it saved our lives and our business.
What makes you different from other distilleries out there?
We’ve never really done the status quo. When we started things off, we immediately asked questions that seemed obvious to the industry. When it comes to bottles, you have to understand the psychology of a bottle. For example, height gets attention on a shelf. We also know that what your neighbours do doesn’t matter. You have to figure out how to do you, but better, more cost-effective and try to put your personality on display. We tell a story behind our products and hope that people will like it.
Distillation has been around for arguably 1,500 years – no one really knows. Yet they’ve been doing the same thing all the time. Why not create something more efficient? That’s why we don’t settle for average and we try to be as innovative as possible.
We love that your business is indigenous-owned and women-owned. What example do you think this is setting for entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs?
We tell a lot of people that are looking to start to simply just start. A couple years later down the road your garner a reputation and you’re somebody that people look up to. It’s weird to think about, but it’s a fact only because we started making small steps and we never stopped. We believe in our goal and trajectory, so don’t let anything hold you back.
What is your favourite cocktail?
Rum sour. Why? Because it’s done with our rum, the best rum! Our rum has so much character. You can taste the essence of rum and ours has a smoke you can taste. It’s aesthetically the sexiest drink or cocktail on the market, and it’s rich with layers of flavour. I love sours!
What exciting projects are coming up for you?
We’re working on an Irish cream, and ours is called Thick & Dirty. We love the name and we already got the bottle design. It’s crafted from an old family recipe. We’re now working on the stability of all of it because we need a recipe that is shelf-stable. It’s like a dessert topping that is rich, decadent and just filthy dirty. It’s exciting for us because it’s one of the last things we have to make that we don’t have to buy ever again!
If you could be remembered for one thing, what would it be?
The truth is, I’m useless without my significant other. I am only 50% of the horsepower here and I am really good at what I do, but really suck at what I don’t know. So I want to be known for the teamwork behind the brand, and how we continue to grind and not give up. You get your shit beat out here, but we dust ourselves off and then get back to work. So I would say that I want to be known for the grind. Grind means the relentless study, curiosity and thirst to make it to the next day.
How do you relieve stress?
I love family time and golfing on Sundays to let the world disappear. It’s just us and we get to chill. Deliveries are good for us too because we get to talk when we deliver to Red Deer or Wainwright, or other far-off places. Holidays are great too because when we get away, we talk about ideas and changes. Whether it’s a new product or just brainstorming, we can design something better to help us get a little further ahead. A little downtime, relaxing, and trying new things.
What are other indigenous-owned businesses in and around Edmonton you’d like to give a shoutout to?
Well, I talked to my buddy who owns his own Integral Containments business. They do business with large companies like Suncor. It’s astronomical the complexity and how you have to commit to being on those sites. His dad started the company and it was more of a scaffolding company that has evolved since Shawn took over. He’s got swagger and hustle, and he’s charismatic. I have a hard time not being proud because he builds confidence within his team.
Photography by: nicholasdyee.com
