Biz Beat: Demand heats up for Modesto's Cold House Vodka

Business remains anything but cold for Cold House Vodka.

As founder, distiller and president of Valley Spirits, Lee Palleschi has signed with a distribution company to keep pace with demand for his handcrafted ultrapremium vodkas.

The Modesto company has grown from its first 101-bottle batch in 2009 to cranking out at least 1,000-bottle batches today.

"We've been growing, steadily growing," Palleschi said. "We've just really reached the point where we cannot self-distribute anymore. It's a wonderful problem to have."

The company, which began with just Palleschi doing all the distilling, bottling and labeling, has four more full-time employees.

Distribution expanded to regional supermarkets such as Save Mart and Lucky, and Costco stores in Modesto and Tracy.

A month ago, the company signed on with Ceres-based CenCal Beverage Company.

Cold House Vodka is still made in the former cold-storage building in the old Tri-Valley Growers complex in Modesto, but Palleschi has upgraded his equipment and operation considerably. He began with a 40-gallon homemade still, bought a 150-gallon still last year and in May purchased a custom 500-gallon still.

"I am working to make the best quality products I can make," Palleschi said. "But I wasn't prepared for the amount of growth we'd have."

For more, visit www.drinkvalleyspirits.com.

Elsewhere around the Business Beat:

Beardsley's Book & Bible has completed its move to a new spot within the McHenry Village.

Owner Kelly Spencer said a move to a space a third of the size of its old 10,000 square-foot location has been positive for employees, who all transferred over, and customers alike.

The store has cut its book inventory by 50 percent, but still carries art, stationary, music and gifts.

The one thing that didn't survive the move was the coffee bar.

The new Beardsley's Book & Bible is in Suite 45 in the McHenry Village, 1700 McHenry Ave. Call (209) 523-0727.

And finally, the Gamers Network cyber cafe has a new home.

Formerly in the Save Mart center on H Street, the new location at the corner of Scenic Drive and Coffee Road is twice the size. The cafe offers gaming and computer repair, and is open daily from 1 p.m. to 8 a.m. Call (209) 566-2464.

Have an item for Business Beat? Contact Marijke Rowland at The Modesto Bee, P.O. Box 5256, Modesto 95352; (209) 578-2284 or mrowland@modbee.com.