Cuban Liquor, the locally owned retailer of fine spirits and gourmet foods, recently conducted a raffle of rare and highly sought-after bourbons, which raised $20,000 for Common Ground Community, a local nonprofit based in the Cedar Grove Community.
The bourbon category has experienced explosive growth in the past few years, leaving liquor stores with a difficult decision of how to sell a limited quantity of bottles to a vast customer base. For over 18 months, Cuban planned a Rare Whiskey Charity Raffle, to fairly sell its allocation of rare bourbons. For nine days in May, customers came to Cuban to purchase $5 raffle tickets for a chance to win the right to purchase bottles including Pappy Van Winkle, the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, Blanton’s, Weller, and more.
The raffle culminated in a Facebook live drawing, where customers tuned in to see if they held a winning ticket. Over $20,000 in raffle tickets were purchased, with 100% of the proceeds being donated to Common Ground Community, a local nonprofit focused on making a difference in the Cedar Grove community through compassionate outreach and acceptance of all people.
“Liquor stores across the country are faced with tough choices of how to sell the very limited number of popular bourbons they receive each year,” said Grant Nuckolls, co-owner of Cuban Liquor. “For over 18 months, we planned this raffle, collecting 100 allocated and rare bourbons. We are committed to selling these products at normal retail pricing, with no so-called ‘secondary’ markups. The response from our customers was overwhelmingly positive – they appreciated a chance to purchase these bottles at a fair price, and they welcomed the opportunity to donate to a local nonprofit in the process.”
“We were blown away at the response of our customers, and so thankful we could raise over $20,000 for Common Ground,” noted Andrew Crawford, co-owner of Cuban Liquor. “Lisa Cronin (Common Ground’s CEO) and her team make a huge impact in our community by filling a variety of voids in the lives of youth, including nutrition, clothing, and education.”
Cuban Liquor plans on conducting the charity raffle annually. Located at 928 Pierremont Road, the store is open Monday-Thursday 10am-7pm, and Friday-Saturday 10am-8pm. For more information, visit www.cubanliquor.com, or visit the store’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/CubanLiquorShreveport.