The Old Mill shifts gears to provide kitchen staples, sanitizer during coronavirus epidemic

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (WATE) — The Old Mill is using its resources to open a small grocery store to help feed East Tennesseans during the coronavirus epidemic. 

The Old Mill Candy Kitchen, located at 177 Old Mill Ave., is now open featuring freshly baked bread, chicken, dressing, and jams. 

“The farmhouse kitchen sells a lot of groceries anyway, but a lot of that is package foods and shelf staples,” Jimmy Proffitt, a member of The Old Mill marketing department, said. “What we are doing now is adding some of those other items to our list, like fresh meats, eggs, milk, and other dairy items, to help the community with even more of their needs.”

While restaurant dine-in service is suspended, The Old Mill Restaurant and the Pottery House Cafe are offering takeout and delivery service. Menus and other details about takeout or delivery orders can be found at www.old-mill.com/takeout.

A complimentary container of hand sanitizer that the distillery makes is included with every restaurant takeout or delivery order of more than $25. 

“They have completely changed over their production to only making hand sanitizer right now,” Proffitt said. “We are trying to get that out into the market and hopefully by the end other day have some information for everyone about it.”

On March 18, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which oversees the distilling industry, waived requirements that distilleries obtain permits or bonds to produce hand sanitizer.  

Old Forge Distillery received 200 5-gallon buckets donated by the Sevierville Lowe’s hardware store to help distribute Old Forge hand sanitizer to community health services.

“We kind of pivoted from making consumable alcohol to making hand sanitizer, which is really not much of a difference as far as production goes,” Old Forge Distillery head distiller Keener Shanton said. “We have increase capacity to try to meet some of the demands, but it’s still corn base. We are just distilling at a much higher proof.”