Premium and Organic Vodka

Blackleaf Organic Vodka is no stranger to awards, including winning Double Gold at the New York Wine & Spirits and San Francisco World Spirits competitions. Blackleaf also earned the Triple Still Award for securing Double Golds at all three major competitions in a year.

Blackleaf is produced with organic wheat, its packaging is printed with organic ink, and it uses less glass for its bottles. A part of the business model involves being environmentally friendly. Blackleaf is handcrafted in France.

This award-winning vodka was an idea Kevin Larkai had while on vacation in Cognac, France. While there, Larkai was introduced to Bertrand Laclie, the owner of Maison Rene Laclie, a fifth-generation Cognac brand. That introduction turned into a partnership that led to the creation of Blackleaf.

After a few years of doing it as a side hustle, Larkai was introduced to Monté Burrow, the then operations and marketing leader for Diageo Brands, a major distributor of Scotch whisky and other liquors.

With Burrow’s knowledge of the liquor industry and Larkai’s ambitions to grow his brand, the two came together to push the brand forward.

Blackleaf relaunched in 2019. In 2023, Blackleaf was one of two businesses selected for the Nearest & Jack Advancement Initiative. The initiative was started in 2020 by the Jack Daniel Distillery and Nearest Green Distillery to advance diversity through mentorship and access.

Burrow knew that Blackleaf would be a huge success.

“This product is phenomenal [and] the world needs to know about this,” said Burrow. “…it’s the best thing in the market.”

Growing the Brand

Blackleaf serves the DMV, Atlanta, and North Carolina markets.

Burrow said the plan is to dive deep into the areas they are in before expanding worldwide. If there are 10,000 restaurants in Atlanta, then Burrow wants Blackleaf in all 10,000 establishments.

Blackleaf is also available to order online.

“Nothing is impossible if you really give it a try and do the work,” said Burrow.