With a mission to inform, empower, celebrate and advocate for British Columbia's current and aspiring business leaders, BCBusiness go behind the headlines and bring readers face to face with the key issues and people driving business in B.C.
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1222419
BCBUSINESS.CA APRIL 2020 BCBUSINESS 29 W I N N E R KELLY ANN WOODS C O - F O U N D E R + C E O , G I L L E S P I E ' S F I N E S P I R I T S ; F O U N D E R + C E O , B O O Z E - W I T C H B R A N D S ; F O U N D E R + C E O , S T A T E B C A N N A B I S B E V E R A G E C O . ; F O U N D E R , S Q U A M I S H C R A F T B E V E R - A G E A S S O C I A T I O N ANCESTRY RESEARCH con- firmed that Kelly Ann Woods's pioneering spirit and love of formulating was literally in her DNA: some of her ances- tors crossed the Atlantic on the Mayflower; others were members of the early witch community in colonial America. Nicknamed the Boozewitch, Quebec-born Woods attended CEGEP in Montreal, with a focus on theatre, and worked as a flight attendant for Air Canada before moving to the West Coast. She spent years honing her drinks skills as a sommelier and doing hospitality work, all the while experimenting with beverage formulation. In 2013, while liv- ing in Vancouver, she founded Gillespie's Fine Spirits with master distiller John McLellan; a year later, they opened shop in Squamish. "I got to apply all of my interests in spells, potions and formulating to the work of distil- lation," says Woods, who leads a team of 16 employees at the award-winning distillery. Developing a taste for entrepreneurship, she sought out opportunities for expansion. In 2015, Woods launched Boozewitch Brands, a non-alcoholic line of shrubs (drinking vinegars), tonics and elixirs now distributed across Western Canada. Last year, she founded a third company, State B Cannabis Beverage Co. "If you're in the food and bev- erage industry, I think you would be remiss to not recognize that cannabis is presenting some real opportunities," explains Woods, who was chosen to attend a cannabis business accelerator program for women in Portland. State B is currently seeking investment; meanwhile, Woods is working on recipe develop- ment and regulatory compli- ance. She hopes to have products in stores this year. With the three beverage companies operating separately, Woods is the common denomi- nator. Plans include merging the businesses under one umbrella to boost efficiency, improve brand recognition and maximize potential. Woods also founded the Squamish Craft Beverage Association to advocate for the industry and support other artisan drink businesses pop- ping up in the community. With Tourism Squamish, the associa- tion created a craft tasting trail to encourage visits to these establishments. Significantly, since Gillespie's opened, two breweries and two cideries have opened within a mile. Says Woods: "I find that when you're a business owner in a small town, you have a lot of opportunity to make an impact if you choose." —J.N.W.