How Sweet Potato Farmer David Souza Built Corbin Cash Craft Distillery

David Souza photo courtesy of Corbin Cash

At the age of fifteen David Souza joined the family business, D&S Farms, and became the fourth generation of his family to farm sweet potatoes in the Central Valley of California. And while he readily admits that farming will always be a part of his life, he needed a way to diversify the business. In 2007 he began secretly distilling vodka in his garage using sweet potatoes instead of the more typical ingredients of wheat, corn, rye, or white potatoes. 

Souza assumed friends and family members wouldn’t understand this new undertaking, so he wanted to get it right before going public. It took over two years and plenty of bad batches, but eventually he got the hang of distilling vodka.

Making & Selling Sweet Potato Vodka

Based on his research, he knew it was possible to distill sweet potatoes, but the greatest challenge was finding the right variety that would result in a vodka he liked, and thought would sell. Sweet potatoes are a complex carbohydrate making the cooking process longer and subsequently the distilling a bit more complicated compared to white potatoes. 

But by 2010 he was ready to share his sweet potato vodka with the world and named the company after his son, Corbin Cash. Knowing a spirits company needs more than one product, he soon added gin. And because the family also grows rye as a cover crop between sweet potato plantings, his next venture was rye whisky. Initially vodka was the best seller, but it soon became the rye whiskey, and Souza admits that this quickly became his favorite spirit as well.

The early years of business were tough. Selling to markets and restaurants around the country requires the services of distributors, but they are slow to take on new brands. For a while Corbin Cash spirits were sold in BevMo, but when their business slowed, they cut back on smaller brands. 

The Tasting Room

Thanks to a change in California law in 2017, distillers were allowed to open tasting rooms, similar to wineries. Souza was reluctant at first, but he gave it a try, opened a tasting room in Atwater, and admits that it helped his business a bit. 

Then the pandemic came in 2020, and ironically it gave Corbin Cash a big boost. While completely closed for a few months, Souza built out a bar and an outdoor seating area. When outdoor gatherings were permitted, large numbers of people showed up to sample spirits, eat pizza, and just hang out. Eventually the tasting room became a popular stop for visitors on the way to Yosemite National Park. Souza also offers farm and distillery tours and tastings. 

Expansion Plans

With confidence that the business was going to thrive, Souza turned his sights to expanding both production and the tasting room. He learned that a nearby 24,000 square foot facility that was once a creamery was up for sale. Not only is the space perfect for growth, it has a sentimental connection–Souza’s grandfather worked in the creamery when he was a kid. 

With so much space he’ll be able to increase production of his spirits, add new ones to the roster, and offer a larger tasting room. (Rumor has it that the new spirit will be tequila.)   Eventually he wants to add a restaurant, but that’s a few years down the road. Souza’s just happy that all the years of hard work have paid off and Corbin Cash is thriving.