Jackie Summers, the founder of Jack From Brooklyn, Inc. and its widely acclaimed Sorel Liqueur, knows what it takes to make a comeback.
Summers says he was the only licensed Black distiller in the U.S. post-Prohibition in 2012, and when he launched his hibiscus-based liqueur that year, he had to navigate an industry that wasn’t set up for him to succeed.
“I started working the market, and when I went to accounts, no one believed I was the brand owner,” Summers tells Entrepreneur. “To this day, most places I go (and I’ve been to thousands) have never met a Black liquor brand owner before.”
In spite of the odds, the brand gained immediate recognition among cocktail enthusiasts. Read more.