A Toast to a South Florida Distiller

Dieuveny “DJ” Louis is no stranger to lending a hand to those in need. The Haitian-born founder of Toast Distillers, who grew up in South Florida, had already been volunteering in the Caribbean island. In 2010, he was in Port-au-Prince when the devastating 7.0 earthquake struck. He’d stepped outside of his hotel to find something to eat when the earthquake hit, killing as many as 160,000 people in Haiti, including those staying at his hotel.

The brush with death led Louis to create Toast Distillers, so named to celebrate life’s highlights and moments with friends and loved ones. His ultra-premium vodka, Toast, is 100% corn-based, gluten free, non-GMO and six times distilled, made with unflavored coconut water. Their portfolio includes Miami Club Rum, Voka Vodka and E11EVEN Vodka. Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, workers at the Medley factory immediately started producing hand sanitizer to meet the sudden demand.

“We had to hire people to produce the hand sanitizer,” says Louis. “It was 60 days of intense work.” The company has shipped its signature brand, EZ Hand Sanitizer, throughout South Florida and nationwide to various sectors including military, government and traditional retail.

Since then, Toast has teamed up in the community to help where needed. With NFL and UM alumnus Ray Lewis, they donated 384 gallons and 500 8-oz. bottles of hand sanitizer to UM student athletes to help them train and work out while following CDC guidelines.  

“I’m a Miami boy,” he says. “Everything we do is homegrown. We’re here to help serve the community and create jobs.”