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The basics:

• Eric LeGrand celebrated the one-year anniversary of his bourbon brand, marking another milestone in his entrepreneurial journey.
• Launched with partner Brian Axelrod, the brand donates $5.20 from every case sold to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.
• LeGrand’s plans for the future include expanding the bourbon brand’s reach into New York and possible franchising opportunities for his coffee house.

Rutgers football icon and New Jersey native Eric LeGrand recently marked yet another milestone in his burgeoning entrepreneurial career – the one-year anniversary of Eric LeGrand Bourbon. LeGrand joined forces with Brian Axelrod, a veteran of the wine and spirits industry, to launch the bourbon brand last year, which is distilled and bottled in Kentucky and distributed by Elizabeth-based Allied Beverage Group.

Notably, $5.20 (a nod to the No. 52 LeGrand wore with the Scarlet Knights) is being donated from every case sold to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, which is dedicated to curing spinal cord injuries by advancing innovative research and improving quality of life for individuals and families impacted by paralysis – an organization that LeGrand has been a long-time supporter of and partner with through his Team LeGrand.

“My recovery journey has mirrored that of my bourbon. Both take precision, patience, and trust in the process,” LeGrand said last year when the brand launched. “Eric LeGrand Bourbon offers a way for those who are living with paralysis and those who are impaired by it, to enjoy sipping on a quality bourbon, while coming together to support a foundation that gives back to anyone impacted by this condition.”

And it has been quite a first year operating the brand – in addition to LeGrand Coffee House in Woodbridge, and his other various projects and initiatives. As always, LeGrand is a busy man.

Last summer, Eric LeGrand Bourbon forged a partnership with Rutgers Athletics, becoming the first such collaboration for LeGrand’s alma mater – with the spirit featured at Rutgers Athletics sporting events and available at select hospitality areas at SHI Stadium and Jersey Mike’s Arena.

“Rutgers University made me who I am today,” said LeGrand in July. “Having played on the SHI Stadium field during college to having my brand sold in the suites at the stadium makes me proud. I’m very excited to be a proud partner of Rutgers Athletics.”

“Eric is one of the greatest ambassadors for Rutgers Athletics,” said Lisa Tirrell, associate athletic director, brand marketing and development at the university. “He continues to serve as an inspiration and the philanthropic component of his Eric LeGrand Bourbon sales shows the positive impact he continues to make towards the greater good.”

The brand can now be found in more than 100 liquor stores, bars and restaurants in New Jersey, such as Costco, Prudential Center, MetLife Stadium – in addition to Rutgers Athletics sporting events. Since its launch, the brand has sold some 11,000 bottles (1,800 cases), while being sold in stores in New Jersey and Kentucky as well as direct-to-consumers online at EricLeGrandWhiskey.com.

“Wow!!! We can’t believe that it has already been one year of @legrandwhiskey,” LeGrand wrote in a March 1 Instagram post. “First off, we want to thank all of you who have supported the brand, whether that’s liquor stores, restaurants, and bars – or just enjoying the juice with many others. We appreciate YOU! We are super excited for what year two has in store for us with some big plans for sure. We want to keep on giving more and more back to the @reevefoundation through @teamlegrand and we ask that you keep on supporting but most of all bELieving. LeGrand Bourbon to the moon.”

And those year two plans became quickly evident as just a week later, on March 8, the brand announced plans to expand into New York, starting May 1. Coincidentally, that announcement came just hours before NJBIZ caught up with LeGrand to discuss the first year of the bourbon brand, how things are going at the coffeehouse, and more.

LeGrand noted that he is feeling good and just grinding away at life and business — he stressed that he could not believe how fast the first year went since launching Eric LeGrand Bourbon. “We’re looking back at pictures from one year ago – like the launch party that we did and just the buildup, getting the distributor set, when we first got the bottles, the first tasting of it – to the actual launch,” LeGrand recounted to NJBIZ. “It’s been quite a whirlwind – but it’s been a lot of fun. And we’re obviously excited for year two. Year one went by at lightning speed – and we got into different places, locations.”

LeGrand joked that he has been saying “coffee by day, whiskey by night.”

Home state support

He also spoke about his solid relationship with Axelrod and the rapport they have as they build this business together. “It’s like two guys – we’re friends, but we’re also business partners that know how to work together,” LeGrand explained. “We don’t argue at all. We talk probably five or six times a day – just going through different things. Whether he’s working his connections, I’m working my connections. That’s kind of how we’ve been working for the past year. We come together on certain events we want to do – bigger bars and restaurants that want to take us in and do a collaboration. That’s kind of how our partnership works – and it’s been great.”

That sentiment was echoed by Axelrod in a statement to NJBIZ.

“We couldn’t be happier with how the first year has gone,” Axelrod told NJBIZ. “We always planned to launch in New Jersey so that we can focus on our home state. A state that has shown Eric so much love and people have proved us right by coming out to support our bourbon. The amount of DTC orders we have received has blown us away and it makes us excited to focus on expanding to new states in 2024.”

When asked what moment or moments have stood out to LeGrand in his first year operating this brand in this new space, he first pointed to the launch party last year, which drew more than 100 people out and generated buzz that set the stage for what would come next.

“And then as we went through the year, we went to so many different restaurants and bars – and we’d do our own events and boat parties in the summer; collaborations doing a lot of stuff down the shore,” LeGrand continued. “It’s hard to pick just one [moment], but I’d just like to thank all of the people that partook in the bourbon and bELieved in us.”

He said that through these different events, he has met so many people, some he even talks to now on a regular basis.

As for the feedback about the product, LeGrand says they have not received one negative comment. “I don’t want to say just because it’s me – but people are genuinely enjoying the product,” said LeGrand, who pointed out that a lot of people have been buying bottles for gifts and special occasions as well as just for hanging out with friends – promoting the brand on social media and through pictures in the process.

Asked what that is like, to see people enjoying a liquor brand bearing his name – one that he has spent a lot of blood, sweat and tears building – LeGrand said it never gets old. “Like wow, people are really going to the store and buying our product. Whatever they’re doing that night – playing cards, smoking cigars – but they’re drinking Eric LeGrand Bourbon,” he said. “That’s just how more and more of the message and the story gets out for what our purpose is.”

LeGrand described the Rutgers partnership as a huge development for the brand. “Rutgers is obviously near and dear to my heart. To be able to partner with them and break that barrier down – to be the first spirits partner there, is just incredible,” LeGrand explained. “I can’t wait to see how far we can start to take it. It’s served in the premium areas there. But just to be able to have it there and be at the top menu – people going in and taking pictures enjoying it while they’re at a football game or a basketball game or a wrestling match – it’s so cool to see.”

He also stressed how important the partnership with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation is to his mission. “It’s our purpose. It’s our meaning. It’s literally everything. Yes, it’s a business that we’re running here. But the cause behind it is to help the individuals that are dealing with paralysis throughout this country, and hopefully, throughout this world – one day when we find that cure,” LeGrand explained. “And we want to make sure we are doing our part as well to be able to give back in that manner. It’s like – yes, you’re drinking alcohol, but there’s a purpose. There’s a reason – and giving people hope and belief that one day we’ll live Christopher Reeves’ dream. And that’s a world of empty wheelchairs. There’s a mission behind everything.”

LeGrand spoke further about the New York expansion. “We just announced today that May 1 we are going into New York. And we want to be able to take over the Empire State,” said LeGrand. “Obviously, New Jersey is small but mighty. New York is a whole different ballgame. It’s going to be a lot of fun and we’re looking forward to seeing our support in New York – and getting into some of those areas and just being able to go out there as well and show them love.”

From there, the conversation shifted to his overall entrepreneurial spirit and journey, including how much he enjoys the process of learning about the businesses he operates at a very granular level. “That’s what I love so much about everything – I want to know. I always want to know what it takes from the ground level up,” he explained, noting that he likes to participate in calls and emails pertaining to all sides of the business. “I don’t mind hearing and learning and understanding what it takes – from the time the bourbon is put into a barrel all the way to when it hits the shelves. And then setting up when it comes to distribution – and how that works. I want to know. That’s how I’ve kind of been like my entire life. When I’m in something, I’m involved. Sometimes people are like – that’s below me, I don’t need to know that. No, nothing is below me. I want to know everything.”

The discussion then turned to LeGrand Coffee House – with LeGrand pointing to the growth in the first two years of that business with expectations for continued growth in years three and four – and potential expansion on the horizon.

“Hopefully, we’ll start seeing more LeGrand Coffee Houses popping up with some franchising opportunities in the next couple of years or so,” he said. “But we’re excited to see that the growth is continuing, and we’ve built a community over there. I still say that the best part is going into my coffeeshop and people having no idea that I am the owner – and they’re just coming to get good coffee.”

LeGrand has regularly stated that that was the goal – to make it a true neighborhood hub with a great community vibe, where people from all walks of life can come in, grab a cup of coffee, do some work, socialize and hang out.

“And we’re doing exactly that,” LeGrand stressed. “It’s funny when I come in there and I’ll go behind the bar sometimes, like behind the register – people will look like ‘what the hell is going on – why is he back there?’ And they realize – like, oh, he owns this place.

“But that’s what we’ve built – we’ve built a spot where people Google us. They look at local coffee shops. We have a lot of people that have moved into Woodbridge now with all the apartment buildings – from New York and all over the place – that may not know my story,” LeGrand explained. “But they found the coffee house and that’s their go-to spot every day.”

There is certainly a lot of economic development happening all around Woodbridge, and LeGrand Coffee House is at the center of burgeoning business ecosystem that is brewing in LeGrand’s hometown in real-time. “There’s just so many new people coming to Woodbridge that had no idea what Woodbridge was before,” he said. “They don’t know but they’re learning about it and they’re supporting us.”

He cited the success of businesses like Strickland’s Steakhouse in downtown Woodbridge, which opened last year, renovating the old Woodbridge National Bank building on Main Street — and generating a lot of buzz and acclaim since its launch. LeGrand noted and thanked their owners, Woodbridge native Michael Strickland and his wife Jessica, for their support – as they have featured Eric LeGrand Bourbon and several specialty cocktails on the menu.

“To see Strickland’s success is awesome,” he said. “But also seeing the coffee shop growing and getting new eyes on it is also amazing to see.”

So what’s next? “We’re going to do our second round of fundraising to be able to continue to grow and expand and operate this business. And we’ll see if we can open up more states this year as well in this Northeast region, which is huge for us,” said LeGrand about the bourbon. “We want to be able to open up more states and get more funding to it – and get more people behind this brand.”

There are also plans for some limited-edition bottles and products, especially for the holiday season.  “Where we only make a certain amount and drop them at certain places,” he said. “Because we’ve learned in this business, when you drop exclusive stuff – people got to have it. They go nuts.”

To mark the one-year anniversary, a celebration was held at The Office Tavern Grill in Summit. In addition to offering a chance to celebrate and reflect on a remarkable first year of operating Eric LeGrand Bourbon, the ceremony also included the presentation of the first check (of $9,064 for the 2023 sales) to the foundation. Until mid-April, 40 North, which operates several restaurants including The Office Tavern Grill, is featuring the LeGrand Bourbon Smash cocktail on menus across its restaurants – with $2 from each purchase of the cocktail going to the foundation, as well. “I think that’s incredible because not only did they bring in our product to their locations, but they’re hosting our party, and also, giving back as well – like we are,” he said. “That’s a grand slam right there.”

And while he acknowledged there are challenges and stressful days, LeGrand emphasized that the good days surely outweigh the bad – and that he is very excited about what is next. “Can’t wait to see where this goes,” LeGrand said.