Brian: 0:10

All right. Well, welcome back to part three of the Vero Beach podcast. We're sitting here with Jeff from the 21st Amendment Distillery. So, Jeff, I want to go ahead and start off like, what do you love most about Vero Beach?

Jeff: 0:22

It's a great town. It's a great town. Um, the people in Vero are awesome. Vero is is um, it's still kind of a hidden gem, I think. You know, I hear a lot of terms like the I just hear a lot of like Zero Beach? Yeah, you know, and I don't, I don't, I don't believe in that at all. I think there's there's there's more going on here. Yeah, I I love I love the small town feel, the small community. I think we're we're growing slowly, you know, it's kind of like a like a good healthy growth. I feel like more younger people are going away and coming back, or more, more young people are staying. There's there's more things open, more amenities and stuff like that. Yeah, just the the people in Vero are awesome. I I you know, Vero, when I first moved to Vero, I wasn't like crazy about it my first year. You know, I lived lived in Tampa. Yeah, lived in Tampa.

Brian: 1:12

That's a big difference in Tampa.

Jeff: 1:14

And and especially like I was traveling during the week. So like I knew nobody. It's in Vero. I always tell like new Vero people, um, you you gotta, you gotta work at it a little bit. You know, you have to go, it's not gonna, it's not gonna always come to you. You have to go, you have to go kind of, you know, um be more proactive with things than than reactive. So, you know, you start getting involved here, and then it leads to one thing. And then the thing, uh the Vero is very, uh, it's a very generous community. There's a lot of philanthropy in this in this community. We do a lot. We do a lot for nonprofits here, a ton, uh, a ton of stuff. Uh we give a lot away. And we're we're gonna always do that, continue to do that. So we believe in, you know, the whole giving away as aspect. You know, you you can you can get to know most of the business owners, and um uh I love it because there's not a lot of, I'm not a big chain restaurant person, no offense to the chains out there, but we like local, you know. That's that's what kind of what our place is all about. So we we like to visit the local places and and and um it's uh it's a great community. It really is. This town's funny. You got the beach and you have the downtown. A lot of people, a lot of people from the beach don't really visit over here. But you know, I you you have to, you know, I play ice hockey. So I have to drive. I drive an hour north.

Brian: 2:35

Uh wait, wait, wait, wait, there's ice an hour north. Oh yeah.

Jeff: 2:39

Yeah. So I play in a men's league and and uh, you know, it's it's but there's hockey here.

Shawna: 2:44

What town is uh it's Rockledge. Okay, interesting.

Jeff: 2:47

Well, it's an hour from door to door. It's I drive, it's you know, I play on either Mondays or Fridays, but it's awesome because it gives me that competitive yeah. It's just fun. But there's hockey. I mean, there's hockey here.

Shawna: 2:58

While you're driving, you should listen to our podcast. Yeah, I will.

Jeff: 3:01

I will now. I have a I have an hour each way.

Brian: 3:04

How would you say the people of Vero have helped like shape or influence the way you do business here at the 21st Amendment?

Jeff: 3:09

Oh, that's a good one. Vero B, you know, the the the age demographic here. Uh you, you know, we hit look it. I mean, we it's a it's a it's a retirement uh community still. So uh the funny the funny story with that is we were expecting more beach people to come over, I'll be honest, in the in the beginning. Um our thing though is our business, we're in love with the locals. You know, we we we love our that's all I can say. I mean, we love our locals. We have a lot of great locals that come here. Not to say, I mean, we love snowbirds too, but but obviously because we're a we're a kind of a snowbird town, we like to do what we can for the locals. Let's let's put it that way. So that's very that's a very important thing because summers are summers along here. You know, we we we listen to our customers. It's kind of a slippery slope. Oh, yeah. When someone wants you to keep something on the menu and you're only selling like one or two a week. I mean, so but we do listen. I mean, the the important thing is we we listen. We may not we may not keep the uh the the the salad that they want on there, but we we're a business, so we have to, you know, we have to run the business too. But we do we do listen to our customers for sure.

Brian: 4:20

I think that's important, and I love that you you even shared that because I mean anybody that's listening and are like, man, I love 21st Amendment, but man, I wish they would have kept that on the menu. I get it, I've been there at other places, but uh when it comes down to it, you are running a business. Yeah, and and it again, it's not that you didn't hear them, you did listen, but it's just financially it doesn't make sense. And uh but I love that you point out like you know, we are hearing you, but sometimes there's just shifts that have to happen because they don't what they would hate more than anything is if uh their favorite uh 21st Amendment distillery wasn't here no more, right? Exactly.

Jeff: 4:54

And that's where you have to make those that's that's kind of the you know the uh where the scales the scales come in.

Brian: 4:59

So yes, we saw that you were involved with Vero's dancing with the stars, which I have to say is very brave because I would not step on a dance floor so she still asked me, will you please go to rowdy roosters? Is that what it is? I'm like, yeah. I was like, can you just find some girlfriends? Because I mean I'd rather I'd rather sit at home and smoke a cigar with me. Yeah, not exactly. You guys do it out. Yeah, exactly.

Shawna: 5:21

Yeah, so my first question you have already answered, which was, do you love to dance? You said not really.

Jeff: 5:28

I I you know I'm not a I'm not a great dancer, so I typically I don't like to do things that I'm not great at, you know. But listen, this so Healthy Star Coalition. Um, we you know, I danced last year. Uh it was a great experience. It's a it's a big time commitment. You know, it's it the the the the worse you are, the bigger time, you know, the worse dancer you are, the bigger time commitment. I'd have to quit my whole business. Yeah, so I just didn't. I wanted to, I wanted to. I'm a big, you know, I wanted to uphold the integrity of the program. In the past, they've had some folks there that maybe didn't take it seriously. And that's not, that's not to me, that's not cool.

Shawna: 6:06

And that happens on the real dancing with the stars too. Like you see people come in, they won't practice.

Jeff: 6:10

You know, if you're gonna do it, have some integrity and do the best you possibly can. Um, it's a classy organization. That is their one big fundraiser for the year. It's all unrestricted funds, which is nice because they can use them for you know, dads or babies or you know, what they wherever they really need the money, they can allocate the money. So it's a big uh, I'll give a big shout out to them. It really is a good, good or good organization. What's that organization again? Healthy start coalition.

Brian: 6:38

So when Shauna knew we were having an interview with you, she said we got to ask about the dance. I'm like, I'll let you ask about the dance because I have no clue.

Jeff: 6:45

That's a great organization. That's cool.

Brian: 6:47

That's awesome. Get them on the podcast to learn more about them.

Shawna: 6:50

And make sure we get tickets for that.

Brian: 6:53

Yes, yes, definitely. When you're not at the distillery, what are some of your favorite, your favorite places to unwind here in Vero? Like, what do you like to do?

Jeff: 7:01

Um, so I mentioned I play hockey once a week. I love it. You know, as we as we age, uh, there's not a lot of competitive sports that you can, you know, that you can still play. And hockey's one of those um sports you can you can get out there and it's an official game and it's fun. To me, it's like that is blow off a lot of steam once a week. So it's good for me. Uh, I like to smoke. I mentioned, you know, smoking a cigar. I can really relax. Um, and then, you know, just trying to keep healthy, go to the gym and stuff like that. What else? Uh there, there's definitely uh uh uh some great restaurants in Vero. I don't want to say any because I don't want to leave, I don't want to leave any out. I do, I do actually sometimes like to go to the uh the two hotels on the water.

Shawna: 7:48

Oh yeah.

Jeff: 7:48

Because because they're good, first of all, but but also because uh there's a lot of guests there and you can you can really unwind. So you you can kind of not not saying it's fun, it's fun to see everybody, don't get me wrong, but it's also nice on your night off to like really unplug and and that's smart and and sort of um not let work kind of carry over.

Shawna: 8:16

So you go over there and no one knows who you are, right? Yeah, and like not everyone knows your name. Yeah, exactly.

Jeff: 8:21

And it's it's not, you know, it's listen, I love seeing people everybody, but but it's everybody understands the need to have a little yeah, and and I'll tell you back back to back to the whole um dyslexia thing. When I was when I was young going through all that, I really either I'm outgoing and I love people and whatnot, but I do need my like alone time.

Shawna: 8:41

That's how I am too.

Jeff: 8:42

And I I have to unplug and I need that essential. Like uh you'd think I'm going, you know, doing talking to people. No, I need so I like being alone is is is key. I need a little more than I need a little more time. I need it daily.

Brian: 8:57

Yeah. Daily.

Jeff: 8:59

Yeah, I need I need that time daily. And um, you know, it's just just that's good. Kind of reflect on things and and um there's there's a there's a saying, I I don't know exactly, but it's like um it's like guys are chopping down a tree, that thing, and they're chopping, chopping, chopping, and one guy goes in the tent, and this guy's like, Well, he's lazy, you know, he's going in there. What the hell's he doing in the tent? And he comes back 15 minutes later and he starts chopping on the tree, and then he goes back after like an hour of chopping, and this guy's like, I'm gonna this tree, I'm gonna get, I'm gonna cut this down way long. But he's in the tent sharpening his his axe. So it's kind of a cool to me. I heard that analogy, and I've always been like, you know, like balls to the wall, like everything. But you you have to sharpen, sharpen your axe. And and to me, that's like my my like you said, reflection in the morning. It's that that's it.

Brian: 10:00

Jeff, this has been great. We again we do want to.

Jeff: 10:02

We're gonna finish with a little little uh about a little something, about a little pour.

Brian: 10:06

Why not? Just do another pour before we get this. Absolutely delicious. Yeah, this has been great. Thank you so much. Thanks for having me. Yeah, we've really appreciated it.

Shawna: 10:13

Yeah, it's been a pleasure.

Brian: 10:15

Yeah, you're so brave.

Shawna: 10:16

I would never try to pour over a computer. I was like, You're like, keep it steady, Jeff.

Brian: 10:20

No, we've really appreciated you having you having you on the podcast. Let's cheer one more time. Cheers, cheers one more time. Cheers, guys. Thank you. And uh I'm gonna close with one more question for you. When you imagine the future of 21st Amendment Distillery, what do you hope continues to represent? Continues to represent for this community when it comes to the distillery.

Jeff: 10:41

Giving back family, you know, family here, and then so family on the I always say family on the inside and family on the outside. Um so I I don't there's you know, the so like the legacy, if you will, um, you know, I'm not I'm not gonna live forever, but um if if if we can if we can continue to serve our community, and like I told you guys earlier, people can come here and and um take their pack off and and just forget about life for a while. Billy Joel, I guess, said that. Um, you know, and just enjoy themselves, kind of support the family in here, and and uh I think that's it's all worth it.

Shawna: 11:23

That's so beautiful.

Jeff: 11:24

Yeah, that's all worth it. Well, Jeff, thank you so much. Thank you guys for you. Yeah, thank you for being a broadcast. Thank you. Yeah, yeah. It's always more fun with alcohol, too. Yeah, that's right.

Brian: 11:32

It is.

Shawna: 11:33

It's loosen up so much faster.

Brian: 11:35

Right, that's right. Everyone's like, I'm nervous to be on the podcast. We'll bring in a 23rd 21 AV and Hudson.

Jeff: 11:41

We're gonna have to share bottles with you guys.

Brian: 11:43

Well, listen, if you guys have enjoyed the podcast, be sure to click subscribe, leave that review, and share it with your friends. Again, uh, this is a great way for you to share with your local friends and community about your local podcast. I'm trying to figure out how many times I can fit local into that closing statement. And friends, there we go. Well, with that, let's see how many times you can put neighbor in again.

Shawna: 12:03

Only once. Thanks for listening, neighbor.