Koloa Rum making hand sanitizer

KALAHEO — Koloa Rum Company’s distillery has expanded production capabilities to produce hand sanitizer in response to the needs of first responders and health-care organizations on the island.

Koloa Rum moved quickly to develop and produce hand sanitizers in accordance with U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines.

In mid-March, the company produced and donated an initial 15-gallon batch of sanitizer to County of Kaua‘i first responders and essential workers at Kaua‘i Coffee Company. Soon after the initial batch was produced, new guidelines for hand-sanitizer production were released by the FDA and federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, which required the company to suspend production until necessary ingredients were received and protocols were put in place.

Koloa Rum has since obtained all necessary information and required ingredients, registered with the FDA as a producer, and received assigned national drug codes for each bottle size in production.

The company is also working closely with Brian Carter, compounding pharmacist and principal of Westside Pharmacy in Hanapepe, to ensure that production processes, ingredients and protocols are in accordance with FDA guidelines and standards.

Koloa Rum resumed hand-sanitizer production recently, producing 500 gallons of hand sanitizer that was bottled in 1.75 liter and 200ml plastic bottles with tamper-evident caps. Koloa Kaua‘i Sanitizer has been donated to local health-care providers, care homes, first responders and county workers, and the company will continue to produce and distribute product as long as there is a critical need.

Depending on the need from the community and other islands, the company is also considering increasing production and broadening distribution to meet those needs.

Koloa Rum Company President and CEO Bob Gunter asks that county organizations in need of donations connect with him directly by emailing Bob@KoloaRum.com.

“We are honored and grateful to be in a position where we can support our community by producing a product critical to preventing the spread of COVID-19,” said Gunter.

“Our focus is on meeting the needs of Kaua‘i’s first responders and front-line workers that are so selflessly serving our community during this time.”

He continued: “I am so grateful that our company is able to contribute to our community’s needs in this way. We’ve been working quickly to get the proper ingredients and systems in place to do this, and now we’re doing everything we can to get the word out to our community that hand-sanitizer production is up and running, and donations are on the way.

Gunter says their top priority is to produce and donate sanitizer to health-care providers and first responders on Kaua‘i, and continue as long as there is a critical need. While they are focused on donations to Kaua‘i essential workers at this time, depending on demand, they may increase production and broaden distribution to make product available to the public as well.

“We are honored to be of service,” said Gunter.

Koloa Rum Company was founded to create superior Hawaiian rum and ready-to-drink cocktails using locally sourced ingredients. In doing so, Koloa Rum provides employment opportunities for Kaua‘i and meaningful support to the local agricultural industry by increasing cultivated acreage and preserving open space.

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Stephanie Shinno, features and community reporter, can be reached at 245-0424 or sshinno@thegardenisland.com.