By

Catherine Ngo

Senior Editor and Content Writer – My Business

After losing nearly 90% of staff overnight with the nationwide shutdown of hotels and restaurants due to COVID-19, Young Henrys decided to make desperately needed hand sanitiser for the community and also as a way to keep as many employees in their jobs. 

“We are hoping to secure the JobKeeper allowance to reengage back most of the staff who were stood down in March. Great people are really hard to find,” said Young Henrys Brewing and Distilling co-founder and director Oscar McMahon.

“We've got a few people back in to run the distilling and start putting it into bottles but when we ramp up to the full production, hopefully, we can bring most of the brewing crew back in, which would be good.”

Young Henrys main source of revenue has been wholesale beer but has since lost about 70% due to the impact of COVID-19. It has a bottle shop and a small tasting bar which has had to close due to the restriction on events.

"We initially started making small batches of hand sanitiser to use here at the brewery using the guidelines from the World Health Organisation. Then we thought this was something we could make here instead of going out and buying it since there was a shortage in supply anyway." 

“We are distilling beer to produce ethanol which is the main ingredient in hand sanitiser. Our formulation has subtle floral notes and a grainy aromatic which comes from the beer”. 

Word quickly spread about the product from charities, shelters and nursing homes interested in its sanitiser. Young Henrys now supplies to the local police, councils and charities such as Two Good. The general public can also get their hands on some through the Young Henrys website.

Young Henrys is making about 800 litres of hand sanitiser a week at the moment. “It’s a more of an activity of ‘hey let’s do this’. It’s not a money-spinner. We are really doing it to get our people back into jobs and for the community. We are a beer business at the end of the day.” 

Young Henrys' pivot to making hand sanitisers is part of a pattern repeated across Australia in response to the pandemic, as businesses look to modify production lines to make goods in high demand or find ways to make more of what they already produce.

Catherine Ngo

Senior Editor and Content Writer – My Business

Catherine is passionate about unravelling the latest news and insights to help entrepreneurs, small business owners and employers.