PEMBROKE, KY. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – As the need for personal hygiene products skyrockets, MB Roland Distillery in Pembroke, Kentucky is gearing up to do their part in the fight against COVID-19. MB Roland, located at 137 Barkers Mill Road in Pembroke, has begun producing hand sanitizer to meet local need. Owners Paul Tomaszewski and his wife Mary Beth, where the MB comes from, opened the business in 2009.
Tomaszewski said MB Roland was going to try and meet the demand as much as possible for hand sanitizer, which has become scarce in most local retailers. He added they are going to focus and take care of the local market first and, if they’re able to do that in the right way, they will expand out.
Tomaszewski said the federal government has relaxed tax liabilities, allowing the distillery to use alcohol and produce the sanitizer. Within a week they distillery hopes to have enough to begin sending it out to hospitals, other medical facilities, and first responders, with some also available to the public.
“It gives us a unique situation to be able to make this stuff that is very similar to what we do on a daily basis because we’re dealing with alcohol and we’re blending things together so we’re kind of retooling our normal business and applying it for this need out there in the community,” said Tomaszewski.
Tomaszewski talked about one of the advantages MB Roland has is the Commonwealth Agri-Energy Ethanol Plant nearby in Pembroke. Because of the easing of federal regulations and taxes the ethanol produced from the plant is a great resource for MB Roland to use for blending hand sanitizer.
To find out more about the great work of MB Roland Distillery and their production of hand sanitizer, visit mbroland.com, email unfiltered@mbroland.com, or call 270-640-7744.