By Rebbeca Marroquin

19-year-old entrepreneur from Big River starts his own distillery

Aug 17, 2017 | 5:00 PM

He might only be 19, but his path is crystal clear.

“I’m addicted to being an entrepreneur,” Matthew Doucette said. The resident of Big River recently opened a distillery and plans to distribute his own brand of vodka called “Deuce.”

Doucette recalls the first time he felt the entrepreneurial spirit at only nine-years-old. He met a man who made wooden pens and was so impressed by the whittled writing tools he took some to school and sold them to students and teachers.

Doucette’s parents are also entrepreneurs who own the Sunset Cove cabin development outside of Big River, as well as a liquor store. Helping with his parents’ businesses from a young age, the one thing that never sat well with him was the idea of selling other people’s products.

“I thought, ‘why I couldn’t start my own?’” he said.

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Doucette said the potato vodka is unique from others on the provincial market because its not only affordable, but gluten-free.

“People who do own bars and liquor stores are very positive towards this, so I think when it does come out it’ll be a success,” he said. “I wouldn’t be doing it if I wasn’t confident.”

Although he hasn’t begun the distribution process, he promoted his product with t-shirts branded with the Deuce logo. Doucette said the clothing became so popular he decided to launch an apparel brand.

“When you’re an entrepreneur, stuff just pops out at you,” he said.

On top of selling his spirits and now clothing in Saskatchewan, through the power of social media, Doucette struck an agreement with a distributer to sell Deuce Apparel in Australia. 

He said he hopes the vodka will be in Saskatchewan restaurants and bars by end of September. 

rebbeca.marroquin@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @becamarroquin