NCFIL + Spirits of Alchemy Blend Science with Soul

Spirits of Alchemy co-founder Chris Hawks turned to the NC Food Innovation Lab when seeking help to get a new product to market—the delicious cocktail mixers he has long served at parties. 

Hawks worked with NCFIL and Executive Director Bill Aimutis on a previous venture in 2019 and was quick to rekindle the relationship as soon as he knew he had a commercially viable product.

Spirits of Alchemy produces alcohol-free mixers for cocktails or mocktails based on classic recipes, such as an Old Fashioned, but with a twist. 

The Hibiscus Habanero mixer, for example, is based on the classic margarita and is one of five original products for sale. Other products include Velvet Mood, a cold brew coffee mixer with hints of cinnamon, sugar, and cocoa powder, and Cast Away, a tasty blend of pineapple and citrus. 

Securing Safety, Taste 

Hawks began work on Spirits of Alchemy in 2022 by taking his kitchen recipes and putting them in containers to serve them. 

“My co-founder Dick White and I then sat down with Bill and talked through business considerations, such as what our product is, how NCFIL can help us scale, and how we make the product food safe. We knew going in that there was only one guy and one facility we needed to work with.”

Spirits of Alchemy uses some of the more sophisticated lab equipment NCFIL has to offer, such as the HTST/UHT thermal processor. This equipment sterilizes products filled into their containers to ensure safety and extend shelf life. 

“Hot filling is everything from a safety standpoint,” Hawks says. “That shelf stability is essentially what puts our product into bottles that we can sell. Yeast doesn’t grow, and nothing explodes.”

According to Hawks, however, NCFIL’s expertise goes well beyond the equipment it offers.

“An essential component of NCFIL’s expertise is the team’s taste buds because before production, we sometimes spend weeks going through taste iterations,” Hawks says. “Taste profile is so important because it makes our products unique. It must taste a certain way, and everyone at NCFIL has expertise in taste.”

Hawks identifies NCFIL Food Scientist Christopher Patillo as the Spirit of Alchemy’s “product development quarterback,” crediting Patillo’s energy and passion to make the best product with driving the company’s in-market success.

Leveraging NCFIL’s Relationships, Expertise

Getting food products to market is a complicated process because of the regulations overseen by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA). NCFIL’s knowledge of the regulations and its relationship with the USFDA are critical components of its role with Spirits of Alchemy. 

For example, products must have certain pH values and Brix levels. Knowing the target ranges that meet federal regulations helped Spirits of Alchemy get their products to market more efficiently. 

“We knew the two words [pH and Brix] were not something we wanted to tinker with or measure against,” Hawks says. 

Making Small Companies Feel Bigger

NCFIL provides support and resources that wouldn’t otherwise be available to a small company like Spirits of Alchemy.

“As a small business, NCFIL makes us so much larger than we are,” says Hawks. “I’m just a guy in my kitchen, but I know there’s a lab out there that’s making sure that our product is as safe and tasty as possible. We’re light years ahead of where we’d be without them.”

Having that support allows Spirits of Alchemy to continue to innovate new products. “Anytime we want to dial in a new flavor, they’re the first ones we call,” Hawks says. 

“From a small business standpoint, NCFIL is crucial to our mission. It’s imperative you work with an expert significantly smarter than you. NCFIL’s team members are the smartest guys and gals in the room.”

According to Hawks, more flavors are on the way, and he anticipates NCFIL will be a part of the development process.

“I hope to work with them for the life of the company,” Hawks says. “We’ll always be innovating or coming out with something new and will lean on NCFIL to ensure our products are the best they can possibly be.”