From the ground up
Client
J.J. Pfister Company
Sacramento, CA
Overview
J.J. Pfister Company was a clothier business in San Francisco since 1877. When the current generation of the family wanted to get into distilling, it turned to Thoroughbred Spirits Group for help on, well, everything. "We are very grateful to have helped rebuild the legacy of J.J. Pfister from the ground up," says Thoroughbred founder Scott Schiller, "helping develop the liquid itself, the packaging, the bottles, and finding vendors, equipment, and even the engineering and layout for the building.
Kevin Keck - President
JJ Pfister Distilling Company
“We are sooooo lucky to have met Scott and the Thoroughbred Spirits team. We began this journey of wanting to get into craft spirits as motivated people but needing to learn the business. Thoroughbred has been superb in every aspect of getting us going. When we have questions, we can always get an answer we can trust. Thoroughbred Spirits Group has saved us way more than the consulting fees. We recommend them without hesitation.”
With Thoroughbred’s guidance, J.J. Pfister built a multi-million distillery in the heart of Sacramento and successfully launched its potato vodka in 2017. Thoroughbred Creative Director, Benjamin Carr, is building the brand’s identity by modernizing its pre-Prohibition roots, and he’s excited about what’s coming down the pipe. “For an Englishman who’s madly in love with America, there’s a great appeal for me with J.J. Pfister,” he says. “We took a lot of old imagery – old crates, vans, bottles and such – and are bringing it into the modern world. The design needs to last; it can’t be part of a fad.”
Similarly, Thoroughbred Director of Strategy and Brand Development, David Large, also worked to make J.J. Pfister last, but from a financial perspective. “We’re looking at the economics of the business and what that can look like not just for this generation but for two more generations down the road.”
