As people across the nation and the world fight against an invisible enemy, a local business is doing its part to protect the public.
Pretoria Fields Collective will soon open its newest farmhouse at 2 Macon Street in McDonough. Upon launching, the store will sell hand sanitizer on the McDonough Square as a way to fight against the growing Coronavirus pandemic.
Photo by Nick Vassy
Tony Carder is a managing partner of Pretoria Fields Collective in Albany, Ga. Carder said Pretoria Fields is working to combat COVID-19, because the majority of Americans are affected by it one way or another.
“We are opening a Pretoria Fields farmhouse on the Square in McDonough,” said Carder. “We started by selling our hand sanitizer to help with COVID-19. Basically, we are a brewery that retrofitted our entire facility to make hand sanitizer.”
“It’s standard ethanol alcohol base with a few other items,” he continued. “It’s 80 percent proof, which is 20 percent stronger than average.”
The brewing company has been in operation for two years. Carder said the owner of the business, Albany-based vasular surgeon Dr. Tripp Morgan, did not want to lay off his employees due to ongoing Coronavirus concerns.
Instead, Morgan opted to retrofit the brewery to sell sanitizer to doctors, hospitals and other medical facilities, said Carder.
“Our goal is to not lay off our staff,” said Carder. “We took our 18 employees and hired another 25. We’re actually able to create jobs in this day and age of laying people off. We’re selling down as fast as we can make it.”
He said the company is working with local social media sites and retail outlets to get the word out to area residents about the new venture, and to make sanitizer available for those who need it.
“We’re helping to supply a need to the community, to protect one another from transmitting diseases,” said Carder. “We’re a collective of farmers and brewers working together to create a great product. We’re also in the CBD oil business. That’s what the store in McDonough is open for, to provide CBD/hemp. CBD is a great product for human health and wellness. It’s also a Georgia-only facility. All our products are grown or made in Georgia.”
For more information, call 770-880-5627.
