Meet Jenny Griffo | Co-CEO

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jenny Griffo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jenny, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Mike and I had full careers before transitioning into opening up Griffo Distillery. He was a physicist working in next generation solar technologies and I was working in international education development throughout SE Asia, S Asia and Africa. We were doing what we loved, but were miserable. We were apart from each other too much. Our community was spread throughout the world. And starting a family with that work situation really didn’t seem doable. (20/20 hindsight – launching a distillery while having three children is also insane). But Griffo truly became both of our passion. Creating something together, spending our days together was really the best part of it all. We also wanted to create a product that would bring people together to form community. It’s been amazing to see our community embrace what we’ve been trying to build and come together here.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
At Griffo Distillery we really believe that to produce a beautiful and consistent distilled spirit you have to balance two important things – the art/craft with the science/precision. With a Head Distillery who has a PhD in Physics, science is a big part of who we are. Our craft distillery is unique in that it has it’s own custom wireless controls that allow us to know everything that’s going on through the entire production process. This gives us a high level of capacity for precision. The art and craft of distilling comes down to selecting the most beautiful ingredients and then carefully coaxing the best flavor out of them. Both are critically important to making a beautiful spirit and we hope you taste it in each of our products.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would start with the Sonoma Coast – grabbing appetizer oysters at Hog Island or the Marshall Store. Then driving farther north up the coast to Nick’s Cove. A little known secret is the Boat Shack at the end of the dock is actually public property. So you can BYOB and there’s an oldschool phone that connects you back to the restaurant/bar at Nick’s Cove. Order your dinner and then walk down the dock to pick it up. The Boat Shack is incredibly charming with an old upright piano and a little wood stove in the corner for heat. With water surrounding you 360 degrees it’s really an incredible spot. I’d definitely stay the night there. The next day I would head for a kayak in Tomales Bay and grab lunch in Pt Reyes Station. Afterward I’d head in to Petaluma for a hike in Helen Putnam, cocktails at Griffo Distillery, beers up the street at HenHouse and then a late dinner at the Shuckery. The next day I’d go wine tasting at the smallest, cutest wineries in Dry Creek and then grab lunch at the Dry Creek General Store before heading to the airport. A perfect long weekend!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Nancy Griffo (Mike’s mother) – you believed in us when no one else did – even when we didn’t believe in ourselves. There is no one we wish we could cheers with and share all our successes (and failures) with more than you.

Sonoma County – You have embraced us and made us your own. We will forever be grateful.

Website: www.griffodistillery.com

Instagram: @griffodistillery

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/griffo.distilling

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/griffo-distillery-petaluma

Image Credits
Michael Woolsey