Today we’d like to introduce you to Monica Pearce.
Monica, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Monica started her career spending 8 years working in the conservation biology field. She received an undergraduate degree in Environmental Science and Policy from the University of Maryland, College Park and an Executive Master’s in Natural Resources from Virginia Tech. Additionally Monica has over 25 years experience in the service and hospitality industry and 15 plus years experience with marketing, branding and strategic planning.
Monica eventually moved back to her hometown of Frederick, MD where she founded Tenth Ward Distilling Company in July of 2016. She has grown the business from a tasting room and distillery at 1600 square feet and virtually no employees to an expanded cocktail bar and tasting room, private event venue and production facility with a combined square footage of 20,000. Since having started the business, Monica served as the VP on the board of the Maryland Distillers Guild, is a member of the Frederick Tourism Council Board of Directors, is a graduated fellow from the James Beard Foundation’s Women’s Leadership Program and was recognized as Frederick County’s top 50 under 40 entrepreneurs.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Tenth Ward, having followed on the craft brewing book with a spirits resurgence has had some great success. COVID was a challenge as it was for many of us but out of that came our canned cocktail line. We were thrilled to be able to offer our delicious cocktails in a beautiful package. After almost ten years, we are still going strong with a fabulous customer base. However the economic landscape is changing – people are drinking less and being healthier, inflation has increased the cost to make our products and people have less expendable income. So we are just at a point where we need to find another pivot!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are Tenth Ward Distilling Company. We are proud to be a woman-owned distillery. Founded in 2016 and located in what used to be the Tenth Ward of downtown Frederick, Maryland. Specializing in a variety of spirits and canned cocktails, everything we make is non-traditional and unconventional, which is why we live fearlessly by our slogan – #wardoffordinary.
Our uniquely delicious product lineup includes Absinthe Nouvelle, Genever Gin, Maryland Rye Whiskey, Smoked Bourbon, seasonal liqueurs and the best canned cocktails around. Each item has its own fun twist so we can guarantee you’ll try something you’ve never had before! Lastly, our whiskey selection is all distilled in house, aged right here in Frederick, MD and the grain base is 100% sourced from local farms.
Visit and experience some good vibes in our Cocktail Bar and Tasting Room for spirit tastings, cocktails and live music. Consider hosting your wedding in our event venue, the Whiskey Hall! Find our canned cocktails and spirits at a store near you or if you’re looking for things to do, come see us slinging Tenth Ward at an offsite event.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
We LOVE Baltimore for all of the support it has given Tenth Ward. Baltimore is a hyper local city with independently owned restaurants and retail stores that carry our products.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tenthwarddistilling.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tenthwardco/#
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tenthwardco
