organic spirit vodka gluten free female owned women owned business
Tina Karras, Tina's Vodka
Owner & Founder
It's amazing how one dream can give birth to another. I moved to
Los Angeles with literally one guitar and two suitcases to pursue
my dream of being a singer-songwriter. I paid rent by working in
restaurants and eventually music venues. Little did I know that these
day jobs would lead to the creation of Tina's Vodka.
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I grew up working in a family owned restaurant in Charlotte, NC
and my first job was washing dishes. I've worked as a waitress,
bartender, cook, hostess, manager, and buyer while growing up,
attending UNC-Chapel Hill, and living in Los Angeles
while writing music in my free time.
After countless liquor & wine tastings and classes, I realized that most
domestic vodka were distilled from GMO/pesticide laden crops and
the organic, non-GMO vodkas didn't taste very good and were too harsh.
I decided to create a vodka that had all of these traits: made from
Organic corn, non-GMO, American made, smooth, clean, delicious,
at a good price, and gave back to the planet and
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I started Tina's Vodka with my credit cards and a small bank loan and just
finished my album that was also self-funded. I spent two years recording
my record in-between jobs and went to mastering in March 2020.
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We were preparing to launch both my vodka and my record during the
music festival season of 2020...then the pandemic lockdowns hit!
I was suddenly unemployed, going further into debt, and fighting off
a billion dollar corporation opposing my trademark.
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It's been a crazy, winding road and thankfully, my trademark is registered,
I'm blessed to have Southern Glazers Wine & Spirits as my distributor,
my home state North Carolina just approved my vodka for sale
in its ABC stores, and my record is now out on all digital platforms.
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I'm excited to finally share my vodka and music with you.
It's never too late to realize your dreams, they can be bigger than you
ever thought. The person you become along the way is the true creation.
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“Everything existing in the universe is the fruit of chance and necessity.” – Democritus