St. Louis–based Great Spirits Baking Company has found sweet success by combining two indulgent favorites: recognizable spirits and popular desserts. “We grew 103 percent last year and are on pace to repeat 100 percent growth in 2022,” says CEO Michael Valenti. Here’s what to know about how the quickly growing company started, where to find the whiskey-inspired desserts, and what’s on the near horizon.
The Back Story
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Valenti used to work at Anheuser-Busch when a former co-worker, Andrea Bartold, approached him about launching a small company, started by a retired Seagrams executive with a license to make Jack Daniel’s gift boxes. It was a small-scale operation, but they soon realized they might have a much bigger concept on their hands.
“After researching the category, we realized that there’s a huge gap with alcohol-branded desserts that are in grocery store bakeries and other retail channels. We believed that we could commercialize the product and scale it to include other brands and formats.”
Great Spirits Baking Company was born. Since Jack Daniel’s is one of the most recognized brands in the world, they began with whiskey cakes. “They are great partners and believe that licensing helps drive even more awareness to the brand,” Valenti says. Great Spirits also has partnerships with Baileys Irish Cream, Guinness, Pallini Limoncello, Remy Cointreau, and Mount Gay Rum.
All of the company’s products are made in SQF- and BRC-certified production bakeries in Pennsylvania and New York because of permit limitations for working with alcohol.
Where to Order
The best way to purchase the Jack Daniel’s line is currently online, through Amazon Prime or the company’s website.
“We have a large-format version of our Whiskey Pecan Cake available for pickup at our Webster Groves office space during normal business hours if ordered on our website,” say Valenti. “We do occasionally sell them at Dierbergs stores. And for St. Louis residents who head to Florida for the winter, our large Jack Daniel’s Cake will be in Publix stores by November and December.”
On the Horizon
In June, the company plans to launch a new Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Liqueur Cake at the International Dairy, Deli, Bakery Association show in Atlanta.
The company also hopes to secure additional partners to continue expanding its line of single- and multi-serve items across the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico.
