DONALDSONVILLE, La. — The Noël Family in Donaldsonville comes from a line of sugarcane farmers. Six years ago, Natalie Noel and her father Chip, set out to redefine their family's legacy.
The duo teamed up and decided they were going to open Donaldsonville's first distillery and become the first distillery in the state to offer tequila.
"We definitely needed to be here. We wanted to be a part of the revitalization of downtown," Natalie said.
The Noël Family Distillery officially opened back in May but it wasn't an easy journey getting there.
"When we had our first event, and we were able to welcome people in, I literally cried," Natalie said. "Sometimes the good things aren’t always easy and whenever you can accomplish it, it’s definitely worth it."
Through the challenges of building materials, securing funding, and a pandemic the Noel's grew closer together.
"There will be some nights where he was the only one that knew what was going on. When you work so hard and you go through trials and tribulations, I think you achieve your goal it’s really one of the most throwing accomplishments in my career," Natalie said.
"It’s been fun it’s been a great experience," Chip said.
Natalie and Chip dove headfirst into this dream now six years ago by enrolling in distillery school. Chip is now the master distiller.
"My kids tease me when I start something I kind of take it to the next level you know. I got interested in making rum so here we are," Chip said.
While Chip favors aged rum, tequila is Natalie's favorite. However, the duo has created a line of spirits together while expanding their palates along the way including pickle vodka. The Noels also partner with a female-owned distillery in Mexico to make their Blanco and reposado.
"I wasn’t a tequila drinker till about six months ago. This is not your daddy’s tequila. This is not the one with the worm in it you see in movies from a long time ago. I would put ours up against anybody's," Chip said.
As they use the sugar in their final product from the fields their family once farmed, every step of this ride has brought them closer, one bottle at a time.
"Even if we have those moments, you might expect cursing at each other or something like that, we really bounce back," Natalie said. "It’s all about the fact that local can taste great. Local can be exceptional."
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