Brittany Penny is the first Black woman CEO behind a Bourbon company in the state of Kentucky.
“For me being the first is truly inspiring and I don’t take it lightly at all. I definitely want to be the first but I don’t want to be the last,” Penny said, according to the outlet.
Before securing the feat, the Louisville, KY, native held several titles such as executive assistant, marketing specialist, and social media manager. In an interview with Cuisine Noire, she expresses feeling unfulfilled, which prompted her to venture into entrepreneurship.
“I wanted to do something that made me happy. I was in a job where I wasn’t really being fulfilled, so I wanted to do something that I loved and that I was passionate about,” she said in an interview Cuisine Noire.
In 2020, Penny was pregnant with her first child. She started to become accustomed to various scents from her husband’s collection of Bourbon, and her curiosity would evolve into the pair launching 2 Cents Inc. that same year.
“The pregnancy nose is an amazing feature. Throughout my first pregnancy amid the COVID pandemic, I would catch the aromas of my husband’s bourbon collection and pick up different notes of apricot, vanilla, caramel and many other flavor profiles. Without realizing it, I was doing the research necessary to start my own bourbon brand,” she told Cuisine Noire.
According to the company’s website, 2 Cents Inc. intends to celebrate premium spirits that can be enjoyed by all while championing diversity within the sector.
The Pennys have already created an imprint in the sector and they are looking to strengthen it further in the coming years. Currently, 2 Cents Inc.’s product offerings include The IX Bourbon Whiskey that can be found in nearby Kentucky liquor stores such as Frankfort Avenue Liquors, and restaurants such as Dasha Barbours, Watch Hill Proper and Joe’s Palm Room.
In addition to releasing a new product soon, according to WHAS11, the company hopes to expand nationally in the coming years.
