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Spirits

Good Spirits are made by distillers committed to their craft, making responsible choices at every step of the process. Spirits that meet the Good Food Guild standards will be able to trace all of their ingredients, from base distillate to added ingredients, without the use of genetically modified crops and without artificial additives.

About

The Good Food Guild relies on the expertise of the spirits community to develop, revise and set standards for the category. As ingredient sourcing and distillation techniques evolve, so do our standards. Read on to learn what those standards are and meet the spirits crafters of the Good Food Guild.

Standards

In order to join the Good Food Guild, spirits companies must meet the following standards for at least 50% of their product line:

  • Made in the USA or US territories.
  • Utilize ingredients that are grown and sourced responsibly, with awareness of origin, seasonality, trade and labor practices.
  • If the primary ingredient is a fruit, it is sourced domestically where possible, and grown without the use of synthetic herbicides, pesticides, fungicides or fertilizers. Where a grain is the primary ingredient there is a strong effort made to use ingredients free of these inputs wherever possible.
  • Free of artificial ingredients, including colors, flavors and preservatives.
  • Distilled without genetically modified ingredients, including the use of GM corn to produce grain neutral spirits.
  • Made by a crafter that is an upstanding member of the good food community, committed to equity and inclusion in all levels of their business,** as exemplified through integrating these  practices:
    • Creating a safe and healthy work environment where employees receive a fair wage, are safe and respected at work and have access to the resources they need to keep themselves healthy.
    • Offering a diversity, equity, and inclusion training to staff members and/or leadership annually.
    • Thoughtfully acknowledging the heritage of culturally-specific food on websites, packaging and/or marketing materials.
    • For the small percentage of Good Food community that operates on a significantly larger scale, meeting additional criteria related to board diversity, maternity leave and employment practices.**

*We will consider IPM practices for certain fruits on a case-by-case basis.
**Check if you are in the 2% of companies meeting the Good Food Foundation definition of large scale, and review the addition criteria on the Rules & Regulations page.

Please note that modifiers such as bitters, shrubs, syrups, tinctures, concentrates, drinking vinegars and flavor extracts should be entered into the Elixirs category.

Meet the spirits crafters of the Good Food Guild and apply to join.