Onyx Spirits to Receive $100,000 State Grant for Expansion

, the Manchester-based distiller whose moonshine has been , got another piece of good news Friday when Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced that the company was one of five Connecticut small businesses that have qualified for state grants through the recently implemented Small Business Express Program. 

The grants are designed to encourage the expansion and growth of small businesses throughout the state. There is $100 million in total budgeted for the Small Business Express Program, which is overseen by the Department of Economic and Community Development. 

“The Small Business Express Program helps businesses who perform valuable services in their local communities, as well as companies bringing new products to national and international markets,” Malloy said in a statement. “Both types of businesses are important to a growing and vibrant Connecticut economy. Whether it’s mom and pop on Main Street or small tech company with big idea, small businesses will lead the way to our economic recovery.”

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Onyx will receive $100,000 in a matching grant from the stat, after first investing $165,235 of its own money, according to the governor's office. 

Adam von Gootkin, one of the founders of the Onyx Spirits Company which distills and bottles out of the historic Hilliard Mills complex in town, said the money will be used to hire and train employees, expand production capacity and increase distribution outside of Connecticut. Von Gootkin said Onyx has vastly surpassed its initial goals for its first year in business, noting that the company hoped to produce and sell 5,000 bottles of its signature moonshine in its first year, but had already produced and sold 20,000 in its first six months alone. 

"It's nice to see the state stepping up to try to help us," Von Gootkin told Patch Friday. "This money will give us some room to grow…everything happened way faster than we thought this year, but people are tasting our product and they just love it. It's working." 

Manchester's legislative delegation also stepped up to applaud the funding Friday. 

"Onyx Spirits is one of the best examples of an entrepreneurial business that I’ve ever seen. These guys do it all,” State Sen. Steve Cassano, a Democrat who represents Manchester, said in a statement. “It’s incredible what they’ve done in an old factory building, and their product is outstanding. This is a state investment that’s well spent. Onyx is a great Manchester small business and our state government is helping them do what they do best – create jobs and generate economic activity for the Manchester area and State of Connecticut." 

While State Rep. Geoff Luxenberg, D-Manchester, hailed the company as the prototypical example of a successful local business. 

“Onyx is a great Manchester small business and our state government is helping them do what they do best – create jobs and generate economic activity for the Manchester area and State of Connecticut,” Luxenberg said in a statement.  “I have met with the entrepreneurs that started Onyx and worked hard to make sure the town of Manchester and State of Connecticut are working to support them instead of getting in their way.”

The other companies to receive funding from the state Friday were: North Haven Ceramic Tile & Floor Covering, which will receive a $100,000 loan to purchase additional inventory and hire subcontractors; Weise Choice Tree Services of Middlebury, which will receive a revolving loan of $26,000 and a matching grant of $26,260 from the state to add an additional employee and upgrade its equipment; Stafford Motor Speedway will receive a $78,000 matching grant to make capital improvements; and  Enermore, LLC of Rocky Hill, which will receive a $150,000 loan and a $100,000 matching grant to develop a new line of consumer skin care products to be marketed domestically and internationally.