Cool Girls with Tag: portland

Jill Kuehler

Name: Jill Kuehler
Age: 40
Location: Portland, OR
Occupation: CEO, Freeland Spirits

Freeland Spirits is a female-founded, owned and operated craft distillery in Portland, Oregon. Part of its success comes from the childhood friendship between founder Jill Kuehler and sales manager Jesse Brantley. Some of it comes from Molly Troupe, Freeland’s Master Distiller and a lifelong chemist who earned a Master’s degree in Distillation in Scotland–the home of malted barley liquor. But maybe the real source of their mojo is the name Freeland, which comes from Jill’s meemaw (Texan for grandmother). No matter where the magic comes from, Freeland Spirits celebrates the bounty of Pacific Northwest and the friendships that are forged between women.

In 2017 Freeland began making Freeland Gin.  Born in a traditional copper pot that combines juniper and other botanicals, the small-batch spirit tastes as nuanced as the natural ingredients that comprise it. One year later, they started making Freeland Bourbon.

“It all started over a fateful night of drinking whiskey with my friend, Cory Carman,” Jill recalls. “I said, ‘Who grows this grain? What’s their story?’ She said, ‘I’ll grow the grain if you make it’ and here we are.”

That’s not to say that the journey from idea to actual alcohol wasn’t fraught with the typical struggles of a small business–let alone one with women at the helm. 

“Women receive less than 5% of small business loans and less than 2% of venture capital money,” Jill explains. “Needless to say, raising capital was a massive challenge.”

Jill wasn’t alone, at least; her family, her daughter, her co-founders, and her advisors always had her back. But there were more hurdles to clear than just finances. There was location scouting and acquiring all of the equipment–not to mention all of the legal hoops you have to jump through when you intend to start manufacturing booze. And, of course, hiring the right people.

“I heard about this mythical distiller in Bend, Oregon, who had a Master’s in Distilling from Scotland. I went out there and threw Molly over my shoulder and brought her to Portland,” Jill jokes. “And Jesse Brantley, our Director of Sales, and I grew up down the street from each other in Irving. Our first babysitting business was a failure so now we’re trying to correct past mistakes.”

Since assembling the Freeland team of genius grog goddesses, Jill and her company have taken Portland and the Pacific Northwest craft spirits scene by storm. To celebrate their first year anniversary, Freeland released their first canned cocktail. They’re still currently in the process of perfecting their future Freeland whiskeys. But she’s not stopping there.

“I want to support other women on their entrepreneurial journeys,” Jill says. “So many women have supported me and I can’t wait to pay it forward. All the lessons I’m learning I hope to share and help pave the way for more women in leadership.”

Beyond putting in the hard work, what advice does Jill Kuehler have for young women who have an idea that seems so crazy that they just can’t quit?

“Fear is not a bad thing. It often means you’re on the right track. Embrace the fear,” she says. “And build up your troop of gals around you,” Jill adds. “Support each other. Lift each other up.”

For her spirited spirits, entrepreneurial enthusiasm, and intoxicating intensity, we think Jill Kuehler and her Freeland Spirits team are very Cool Girls!

Stay in touch with Freeland Spirits by visiting their website, following on Instagram, or liking on Facebook!

Jennifer J. Woodward

Jenn Woodward HeadshotName: Jennifer J. Woodward
Age: 40
Location: North Portland
Occupation: Visual artist and small business owner

Texas native and Portland resident Jenn Woodward has turned pulp into nonfiction with her papermaking studio, Pulp & Deckle. But this artistic whiz isn’t happy simply making paper, she’s trying to create a community space where this craft can flourish and gain the recognition it deserves.

Jenn discovered papermaking as a graduate student at School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The medium inspired through drawing, beyond the ink to the page itself. It was from there that the page became the stage, literally.

“What excites me most about papermaking is that it is pretty magical. You can take plant waste from your yard, or worn out jeans, cotton t-shirts, or towels, and transform them into paper pulp. And that pulp can be further transformed into sculptural objects, substrates for prints and drawings and photos,” she explains.

Of course, taking art from a creative outlet to a constructive occupation was a process in and of itself.

Jenn Woodward with Bamboo“When my husband and I moved to Portland from Boston, I didn’t really have an art studio, much less a space for papermaking,” Jenn recalls. “I was making and exhibiting art, but it felt like it was squeezed into my life, instead of being at the center of it. How to bridge the gap between what I wanted to do for a living, and what I was doing become a real priority.”

She wanted to share the craft while also creating herself, and she was inspired by the idea of community building, too.

“I wanted to give artists like myself who had worked with hand papermaking before, but didn’t have the space or resources to put together their own paper studio, the opportunity to come and work and utilize our set up,” she says.

From that idea Jenn and her husband started a Kickstarter to establish Pulp & Deckle. The campaign was funded successfully, and they opened in 2012. The studio is Jenn’s answer to wanting to make a living via papermaking, as well as providing a space to expose Portlanders to the medium and its potential.

Portland Art Museum Monster Drawing Rally

For the first two years Jenn kept her day job, but she was finally able to dedicate herself to Pulp & Deckle full-time after receiving support from the non-profit c3:initiative. As a result, Jenn has been able to start Pulp & Deckle’s residency program. She’s also been completing a larger scale, community engaged art project, called Fruits of the sun (for all the unknowns), which was recently exhibited at the Portland Art Museum for a one-night First Thursday event.

Fruits of the Sun Pop Up Portrait“Over the past several months I hosted pop-up portrait drawing sessions at farmers markets and other spaces, inviting participants to sign-up as live models via 20 minute portrait sessions.The drawings were made with handmade paper embedded with various types of seeds. The paper will act as fertilizer for the seeds, and the drawings will decay and grow into fall vegetables and native wildflowers,” Jenn explains. You can read more about Fruits of the sun (for all the unknowns) on her project blog, http://fruitsofthesun.com.

Jenn’s artistic vision is blossoming. Even after a recent fire which damaged part of the Pulp & Deckle home base, she sees the studio’s outreach and ouvre spreading branches from its Portland roots.

So what advice does this hardworking handcrafter have for other young female artisans?

“Try to be kind and patient with yourself and others. In our daily lives it can make a huge difference!”

For her papermaking prowess and for cultivating a creative community, we think Jenn Woodward is a very Cool Girl!

You can keep up with Jenn and Pulp & Deckle at: http://pulpanddeckle.com, http://jjwoodward.weebly.com, & http://fruitsofthesun.com. Or, visit Jenn’s social pages: Facebook, Twitter, Pulp & Deckle’s Instagram or Fruit of the Sun’s Instagram.