Page 87 - BWA FEB 2013

February 2013 | Business World Magazine | 87
A TRIPLE SHOT OF
TRIUMPH
Arkay emerged on the market in November
of 2011. Within six short months, Gratta-
gliano not only recovered his initial $5 mil-
lion investment, but generated significant
profits. Sold in cases by-the-can or by-the-
bottle, the whiskey-flavored drink is being
whisked away to distributors and retailers
throughout the world. “In the beginning, I
thought it would be good if we could move
just one pallet a week, but now we’re mov-
ing more than 20 pallets a day,” says Gratta-
gliano. No surprise, States like Kentucky and
Tennessee have generated the most demand,
but Grattagliano says orders come from all
over the world.
The beverage’s popularity has allowed the
company to expand upon its operations
which began with the opening of a head-
quarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Arkay
has since opened offices in Paris and Scot-
land, and has established manufacturing
bases inMexico (and soon in Oklahoma) for
the bottle products while the canned con-
coctions are made in Miami.
Tour of manufacturing plant