BACCHUS Distillery received a Greater Dandenong Chamber of Commerce Premier Regional Business Awards nomination in May and was looking to expand into North America.
Just four months later, on 9 September, the Bangholme business was placed in administration.
Bacchus started selling handmade products at markets and shows in 1994.
Director Damien Hajdinjak learnt the distillery trade in Croatia from his relatives and identified a niche in Australia for schnapps.
“We figured if we couldn’t sell it, we’d just drink it,” he said.
Bacchus’s first big step in the business was in 1998 when Safeway began ordering Cowboy packs and was producing more than 1 million litres of its products per year.
It had 15 employees, several who’d been there for 10 years.
Greater Dandenong Chamber of Commerce declined an offer to comment.
The Journal contacted Bacchus Distillery and the administrators for comment but did not receive a response before deadline.
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