The many spirits, and one team, that is Heaven Hill Brands

At Heaven Hill, they are Many Spirits, One Team. Heaven Hill’s continued success is a testament to the quality of their products and the hard work of their 1,100+ employees. But their success has not come without its trials.

Since 1935, the Shapira family has been a steady hand at the helm of Heaven Hill. From the time the five founding brothers began the company after Prohibition, to its growth and diversification under second generation family members Max and Harry Shapira, to its current position with third generation leaders Kate and Allan Latts, Heaven Hill takes great pride in being family-run. Founded with no brands, no available stocks of Whiskey, and at the height of the Great Depression, the company overcame numerous challenges to become a distilled spirits industry leader. Marked by resiliency and perseverance, Heaven Hill is a diverse company built to withstand the test of time.

In 1996, Heaven Hill lost one of their most storied and valuable assets when a fire destroyed the company’s original Bardstown distillery, and with it, two percent of the world’s bourbon at the time. The devastating loss forced Heaven Hill to pivot, although thankfully no lives or jobs were lost. Max Shapira found a job for everyone the next day to rebuild. In 1999, Heaven Hill acquired the historic Bernheim Distillery in Louisville, but the company had not lost sight of its roots. The bourbon industry marked a special homecoming almost 30 years later as Heaven Hill broke ground on a $135 million distillery in Bardstown in the summer of 2022.

The organization is passionate about responsibly enhancing the enjoyment of life for their consumers, partners, employees, and communities. Heaven Hill has a vested, multi-generational investment in fostering the heritage of Kentucky bourbon and supporting the communities and causes who built and supported the company in its development. On an organizational level, the business is committed to its tenants of corporate citizenship: environmental sustainability, social responsibility, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and community relations and philanthropy.

In 2021, the company made 248 new hires; this period of growth has offered new opportunities. Strategy and culture coupled together foster an even greater capacity to thrive, both in business and employee experience. Heaven Hill recently launched “The Spirited Commitment,” a reminder of who they strive to be in their work and for their teams, and a charge to continually reflect on the progress of their culture. They hold themselves accountable to their core behaviors: choose positivity, work together to win, make an impact, act with integrity, improve every day, and be authentic. They are creating a consistent employee experience amidst business, economic, and climate changes. Heaven Hill strives to be the partner of choice, supplier of choice, employer of choice, and neighbor of choice.

Featured image from left: Kate Shapira Latts (Co-President), Allan Latts (Co-President), and Max Shapira (Executive Chairman) of Heaven Hill Brands

The Goering Center is sharing this content as part of its 2022 Family and Private Business Awards celebration.