For nearly two years Erica Feucht worked her way through every brand of natural deodorant on the market.
None of them worked.
So, she gave up and switched back to standard deodorant during her pregnancy. Despite her efforts to find a solution that worked, her husband Jason pleaded with her to keep trying.
In frustration, Erica grabbed some hand sanitizer and slapped it on her armpits and challenged her husband to find something better.
When she returned home later that day, the hand sanitizer had worked, and Jason was prepared with a new idea.
“What about whiskey?” Erica recalled her husband saying.
That interaction happened a few years ago, and the couple has since founded and grown Colorado-based Pit Liquor, a natural deodorant brand made from edible ingredients in whiskey and vodka.
After a year of research and testing, the couple launched Distilled Bath and Body's Pit Liquor in 2017 on Kickstarter, garnering $20,000 from almost 500 backers. While they began small, with Erica and Jason handling production from their home, the company has grown and expanded its footprint in recent years.
They now offer a line of natural deodorants with products like Whiskey Vanilla and Coconut Rum with Lime.
And with an expanding product catalog, Pit Liquor has grown quickly and attracted a loyal group of customers. The company has tripled its revenue growth each year since 2017 and successfully navigated the pandemic with a well-timed pivot.
While the start of Covid-19 proved to be rocky for the company, they settled in and began offering hand sanitizer for sale. Erica said the company was willing to lend a hand but didn’t want to be predatory during a pandemic.
So, they began offering free sanitizer on the website on a rolling basis. Ultimately, the exposure was crucial for Pit Liquor.
“We kept really close tabs on our customer base because it exploded, but if they didn’t convert into deodorant customers, we were doing things wrong in the long haul,” she said.
The company has since ceased production of sanitizer and shifted its focus back to its line of natural deodorants.
And, in an effort to further grow their business, Pit Liquor opened a crowdfunding investment round on Wefunder late in 2020. The campaign closed this spring, garnering more than $550,000 in funding from 660 investors.
While Erica was initially dubious of the crowdfunded investor route, she said the company was pleasantly surprised by the reception.
“We jumped in on Wefunder and had a really interesting and successful ride,” she said, adding that Pit Liquor may return to the platform for future funding.
Now, with this capital on board, Erica said Pit Liquor is working on extra strength and alternative delivery methods for its deodorants. The company currently offers a spray-on deodorant that costs $19.95 and a roll-on variety for $12.95.
“We want to stay in the category of helping people with odor issues and continuing to grow the product line there,” Erica said.
Despite the humor involved with the company’s founding story, Erica said starting a business while raising children has instilled a unique work ethic in herself and Jason.
The couple has grown from an at-home production phase that was described as a “scene from Breaking Bad” due to the glass carboys and test tubes, to a team of 16 employees and a bustling warehouse.
For Erica, Pit Liquor's growth was no accident or luck.
“It’s hard having a business with small kids, but I think it’s more likely to be successful because I literally can’t fail,” she said.
