Our/Vodka distillery set up in LA Arts District

Our/Los Angeles is born of a partnership between Steven Ocheltree and Tyler Simmons —co-founders of creative agency Sew— and Pernod Ricard’s Our/Vodka brand, which teams up with local entrepreneurs around the world to give select cities their own vodka.

In each city, Our/Vodka is partly-distilled, blended and hand-bottled in the micro-distillery according to the same global recipe, but with the use of different, locally-sourced ingredients, giving each vodka its own, unique flavour profile. The small-sized, simple bottle is sealed with a crown cap containing a vodka that is smooth, fresh and pure with a slight grain and fruity note.

Our/Vodka always looks the same, but each city gives its name and character to the vodka. Once the distillery has launched, it is operated by local entrepreneurs who, driven by a deep love for their city, are in charge of creating the personality of Our/Vodka in their town.

With their backgrounds in non-profits, community action and design, Ocheltree and Simmons co-founded their creative agency with the belief that doing the right thing for the community can also be a profitable thing for the corporate clients they work with. Spurred by their passion for the downtown LA Arts District, Our/Los Angeles is set to challenge the current perception of a Tinseltown vodka being celebrity, glitz and glam.

Our/Los Angeles is the sixth member of the Our/Vodka brand family which has already successfully launched in Berlin, Amsterdam, London, Detroit and Seattle. Following Los Angeles, Our/Vodka is set to launch in New York, Miami and Houston. Our/Vodka is the brainchild of Founder and CEO Åsa Caap and was treated as a “black ops” secret project within Pernod Ricard before the first distillery opened in 2013, in Berlin.

“What has driven our partnership with Our/Vodka has been shared ideals of a local, grassroots approach to building a brand that people feel ownership over,” say Simmons and Ocheltree.

"Steven and Tyler’s work with Sew and their presence in Downtown LA, makes them a great fit with Our/Vodka and our values,” says Asa Caap, Our/Vodka co-founder and CEO. “Their community-centred ethos is at the heart of Our/Los Angeles.” 


15 July 2016 - Felicity Murray The Drinks Report, editor