There’s a story I love from the days of Prohibition.
When the 18th Amendment swept across America, it destroyed thousands of businesses overnight. Breweries collapsed. Distilleries shuttered. Entire supply chains evaporated. But not Laird & Company.
Founded in 1780 and recognized as America’s oldest licensed distillery, Laird & Company didn’t cling to what it had always done. Instead, it pivoted. When selling alcohol became illegal in 1920, the Laird family retooled the business to produce apple juice — and medicinal whisky.
They used the same apples, the same orchards, the same infrastructure — but changed the output. It was a radical move, and it worked. When Prohibition ended 13 years later, they flipped the switch back.
Today, the company is led by the 9th generation of the Laird family. They still produce apple-based spirits — including their legendary apple brandy — and they still operate with the same ethos that got them through America’s most economically and culturally volatile moments.
The lesson is clear: survival necessitates a combination of responsiveness and creativity to weather market conditions. Laird & Company didn’t outlast because they were the biggest or most well-capitalized. They survived because they were nimble and didn’t fight the tide. What this story teaches is simple: lasting power often comes from knowing when to shift course entirely, especially when the world shifts around you.
