Why Du Nord's founder says 2020 and 2021 were both the worst and best years of his life

Here's something you might not know: Du Nord Social Spirits in south Minneapolis was the first licensed Black-owned distillery in the United States.

Chris Montana is Du Nord’s co-founder and CEO. He opened the distillery’s cocktail room in the same neighborhood he lived in as a homeless teenager attending Minneapolis South High School.

Montana’s life is quite a story, as is the story of Du Nord — and what's happened with the distillery in the past couple of years. When the Du Nord facility was damaged in the unrest following the 2020 murder of George Floyd, Du Nord started raising money to support affected businesses and the broader community, and that has morphed into the Du Nord Foundation.

Montana joined host Cathy Wurzer for a conversation about the history of Black distilling, what it’s been like to blaze trails in a predominantly white industry, why 2020 and 2021 were both the worst and best years of his life and more.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

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