W I L M I N GTO N B I Z 1 0 0 I N N O VATO R S
BROOKE BLOOMQUIST PRESIDENT, BLUE SHARK VODKA
rooke Bloomquist, who has a master’s degree in hospitality management from the University of Nevada, worked in the hospitality and music industry before opening up the Blue Shark Vodka distillery in Wilmington.
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WHY SHE’S AN INNOVATOR THIS YEAR: June 2020 marked one year in operation for Blue Shark Vodka as a distillery, and in that one year, even with COVID-19 challenges, Blue Shark Vodka saw exponential growth. As president and head distiller of Blue Shark Vodka, Bloomquist carved a way for Blue Shark to become the flagship distillery in Wilmington and one of the few female-operated craft spirits organizations with the teamwork of the whole Bloomquist family. Bloomquist led the company as distribution grew from mostly local in New Hanover County to availability at all North Carolina ABC stores. With little distilling experience, Bloomquist got her master distiller’s license before starting Blue Shark with her family. One of the greatest accomplishments in 2020 for the distillery was the announcement of a Platinum SIP Award win for Blue Shark Vodka. The next goal: to take the brand national. FISH TALE: The biggest ongoing project for Bloomquist is shark conservation. This summer, the distillery partnered with the Atlantic Shark Institute to fund an ocean marker with a receiver that tracks tagged sharks.
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