At rare family store on the Strip, ‘each product has a story’

Describe your business.

Our shop is like a candy store for adults, where you get to come in and taste these products we have collected from around the world – from single-malt, single-cask scotches to whiskeys, cognacs and brandies, to extra virgin olive oils from the Mediterranean, to vinegars from Italy and Germany and France to spices like truffle salt, orange pepper, garlic pepper and bruschetta spice.

What are some of your most unusual liquors, oils and vinegars?

We have a Bunnahabhain 24-year single-malt, single-cask scotch from Islay that is bottled at 43 percent alcohol by volume with no caramel coloring and no chill filtering. We also have a Cognac Cuvee Paradis from the Grande Champagne region of Cognac, made by the Seguinot family, which has been making cognac since 1890.

All of our fruit vinegars are unique; they are made completely out of just fruit — so they taste just like fruit.

What makes your business unique?

Each product has a story. This business is about providing the best, but in a way that makes the world a better place.

The Moroccan oil is made by a consortium of Moroccan tribal women to raise their economic circumstances. The calamansi vinegar is in our portfolio as a way of supporting a Filipino orphanage. The apple vinegar, which started the company, is a product of trying to preserve a heritage apple tree, Bodensee apple, that is native to Bavaria. We need to find a way to create a product that will provide the farmers a sustainable price so they won’t cut their apple trees down and grow these GMO apples that look pretty but don’t have as much flavor. Everything that we do is very purposeful.

What’s the most important part of your job?

Customer service. It really is that simple: This is not rocket science. This is about treating people like they’re special, because they are; about giving them the best, because they deserve it; and at the same time, treating the world and the people who produce the products in a way that is respectful and allows them to continue to do that.

What is the best part about doing business here?

This is a crossroads of the world where people come for fun and excitement, and we’re excited to be a part of that because we think we provide a unique experience.

What obstacles has your business overcome?

We feel very blessed to have this opportunity, but a lot of it was about having the hutzpah to ask. You don’t find many family-owned businesses on the Strip, and it took a certain amount of hutzpah for us to even ask.

How can Nevada improve its business climate?

There are a lot of barriers to entry in Nevada, but a lot of it is just figuring out exactly all the licenses you need, all the hoops you need to jump through, all the people you need to talk to. This is our third store in our third state, and we found Nevada to be very highly regulated. If there were a way to streamline that, it would reduce the barriers to entry significantly.