5 minute read
Happy hour with Emily Vikre
By Andrea Busche
FFrom “accidentally” winning a wine-tasting contest in France to starting a unique business and writing a successful book, Duluthian Emily Vikre’s life story has thus far been a fascinating one.
Some may recognize her last name from Vikre Distillery — the business she and her husband, Joel, started together and operate out of Canal Park. But Vikre wears many hats; she is a busy mom, she generously volunteers her time to several organizations, and she is constantly coming up with innovative ways to hone her creative side.
Food and Norwegian culture
Vikre was born in St. Paul and lived there until age 4. It was then that her dad, Steve, accepted a job as an oncologist and hematologist at Essentia and brought the entire family north — including Emily; her two brothers, Even and Erik; and their mother, Lise — to live in Duluth.
Lise moved to the U.S. from Norway when she was 17. The family enjoyed eating Norwegian meals such as potatoes, cabbage, fish cakes, meatballs and shrimp, which their mother lovingly prepared. Young Emily also picked up an early interest in cooking.
“I’ve always been interested in food, cooking and baking,” Vikre said. “I have early memories of reading kids’ cookbooks. But I became interested in nutrition because of my family. My dad was an early adopter of ‘food as medicine.’ In my family, there has always been a strong focus on whole foods and cooking from scratch.”
As a child, Vikre and her family enjoyed cross-country skiing and exploring local treasures such as Hartley Park, Chester Park and Brighton Beach. She also enjoyed art and music and played the flute for several years.
Education
Vikre initially planned to be a science researcher or a scientist. She attended Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in biology, with a minor in French.
During this time, Vikre, who was interested in wine, but not yet a connoisseur of spirits, studied abroad in Paris for a time. After taking a few classes in chocolate-making and wine-tasting, she was surprised to win a blind taste test where participants had to successfully identify the region, year and grape varietal of the wine they were sampling.
Vikre later moved to Boston and got a job at Boston Children’s Museum. She earned her master’s degree in nutrition communication from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, and later earned her doctorate there in food policy and applied nutrition.
Vikre started a food blog, “Five and Spice,” and wrote a column for Food 52, an online community centered around food and cooking, where she focused on recipe development. She was teaching health behavior psychology at Tufts when she met her husband, Joel, in Boston. The Vikres were married in 2011.
Twist of fate
During a trip to Duluth, they visited with Emily’s parents, who had recently attended a spirit-tasting. An offhand comment altered the course of history for the Vikres.
“To make spirits, you need good water and good grains,” Vikre shared. “Minnesota has all of those things. My parents wondered: ‘Why isn’t anyone doing that here?’”
The idea took hold and wouldn’t let go.
“It was like the ancient Greek idea of the muse,” Vikre said. “It took up residence in us.”
Coincidentally, the couple were actively looking for a change, and moving to Duluth sounded like a good idea.
“We had both reached a point in our careers, and in Boston, where we loved the place, but it wasn’t ‘home,’” Vikre said. “We also wanted to be part of a community and we didn’t want to take the next steps on the career paths we were on,” she said.
One of Joel’s colleague’s sons operated a rum distillery in Ipswich, Massachusetts. The Vikres began sampling spirits, thinking about flavor profiles, and creating a business plan. They moved to Duluth in 2012.
Vikre Distillery
After applying for and receiving the many licenses and permits needed for operations, and working hard on many prototypes, Vikre Distillery opened its doors in February 2014. The Vikres produced their first spirits — three varieties of gin: Boreal Juniper Gin, Boreal Cedar Gin and Boreal Spruce Gin. Today, they also offer aquavit (a traditional Scandinavian spirit infused with caraway, dill or both), vodka, whiskey and Frenchie Cocktails, a canned version of the French 75 cocktail featuring an adorable French bulldog on the can.
The Vikres source their ingredients locally whenever they can.
“All of our grains, including corn, wheat, rye and barley, are all from Minnesota, with most from Wrenshall and Esko,” Vikre said. “Our botanicals, such as rhubarb, black currant, herbs and spruce tips, are also local. And the items we can’t find around here, including cardamom and citrus, are sourced organically.”
The Vikres are also concerned about preserving the environment. The distillery has made a zero-waste commitment, and is mostly organic-certified. They use a closed-process water loop system to save water, and eventually want to use solar power and become carbon neutral.
Employees and sales
Today, the company employs about 25 people. While Joel focuses on compliance issues and maintaining the equipment — “He can fix anything,” Emily said — she focuses on product development, sales and marketing. The distillery remains open to sell spirits, however, Vikre Distillery’s “extras,” like sampling, tours and a cocktail room, are closed due to COVID-19.
Business at Vikre is booming — Vikre Distillery’s spirits are sold at over 200 liquor stores in Minnesota, 100 in Wisconsin and many other locations across the country, including bars and restaurants. The Vikres have already racked up many accolades for their spirits, too. A comprehensive list of their awards is found on their website.
Books
Emily Vikre recently became a published author. Her book, “Camp Cocktails,” published in February 2020, features fun and easy recipes for drinking in the great outdoors.
Another book, a family camp cookbook, is also in the works. It is being co-written by Vikre’s friend, Kaitlin Erpestad, who is the director of the Hartley Nature Preschool in Duluth.
Volunteer work
Vikre enjoys giving back in a variety of ways. She serves on the board for Lyric Opera of the North, and she volunteers for her sons’ school, Many Rivers Montessori, and also for the St. Louis River Alliance. Vikre Distillery is also part of the Main Street Business Alliance, a national network of small businesses dedicated to paid family leave and universal health care.
Vikre Distillery also pitched in during the pandemic, using their supply of ethyl alcohol (an ingredient used in making spirits) to create free hand sanitizer for the community. This initiative is still available; people who bring in a container can request free hand sanitizer or purchase it prepackaged for a small fee.
Family
Emily and Joel Vikre are parents to Espen, 7, and Vidar, 3. Although their names may sound a little unique to our ears, these are traditional boys’ names in Norway. The family also includes a dog named Squid and several fish.
When they aren’t working, the Vikres enjoy crosscountry skiing and spending time outside. Emily recently took up ballet, and also enjoys running and painting.
Vikre is looking forward to enjoying the traditional spirits of the holiday season, including glogg, a mulled wine made with sugar and raisins and spiked with aquavit. She also enjoys experimenting with recipes for festive seasonal punch.
Looking ahead
Despite being young people with a relatively young business, the Vikres already have much to be proud of, and much to look forward to.
“Hopefully we can continue to use our business and our work to contribute to a shift in business culture,” Vikre said.
“I dream about taking care of people and the earth,” she added. “While we plan to expand our product line, we will also honor our environmental commitments.”
For more information, visit vikredistillery.com. D
By Abigail Blonigen
