Conversations with Chris Wood

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Chris Wood.

Hi Chris, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi, my name is Chris Wood! I am a proud father of an amazing 10-year-old girl. I grew up in Oklahoma but have been living in Denver for the last 26 years. I graduated from the University of Oklahoma and have been involved in Railcars logistics and marketing of LPG since roughly twenty six years ago. I began having allergies to beer. I enjoy spending time outdoors and boating, and I like to sip a cold beverage while playing outdoors.

I found a few low-ABV options with a good flavor profile. I begin mixing different options with flavored waters to develop a low-alcohol, healthy, delicious option. Along with several friends, we tried many combinations to find something I could drink on the boat in the sun. I became friends with Tuffli, President of Vaqit, from my Oil and Gas career. We have similar-aged families and similar interests in life. His family stayed at my house one weekend to play on the boat, and we enjoyed a few of these different random drink options.

Tuffli commented on his similar allergies and how much he liked these options. Tuffli said we should start our own beverage company and offer amazingness to the rest of the world. A few weeks later, Tuffli called and said I am doing this. Would you like to partner up and do this together? I was super excited and super scared. My entire life has been dedicated to the logistics of oil and gas. How would we learn to start an alcoholic beverage company?

Well, after several years and trial and error and tastings of many different flavors and drink options, we discovered what is now three amazing flavors of a low ABV vodka-based RTD. The journey has been amazing. Working with one of my best friends and watching this little company grow is very special. We are still rookies in this space, but we continue to learn each and every day. We are fortunate to have hired an amazing team to help manage the day-to-day business as we both maintain our day jobs to fund our new passion.

We are not in a race to spread our new passion, but for the last two years, we have only seen upward growth. It is so fun to get to share our drink options with others. I am super excited to see what the future brings to VAQIT!!

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I would say no major struggles. We have not been in a sprint to get to where we are today. We have moved slowly but methodically through learning a new space and gaining knowledge in the world of alcohol. We did move very slowly in the early years from a need for perfection. We tried many different options to get close to the drink we wanted to offer the world. We were so dedicated to perfection that it took a few years longer than planned.

Funny story: by pure accident, we got to the final flavor profile. Tuffli and I met to do a sampling of some new batches and were shy of 1 of our ingredients. It solved all of our problems and we couldn’t believe we had solved our problem by just eliminating what we thought was an important ingredient. Through those years we tried many different options but are very proud of what we brought to market.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I was very fortunate to get a job offer from my Uncle after college. I wanted to move from OK to CO so badly and he offered me that option. I have never looked back I love Colorado for all that it offers. I learned all about Railcars and the logistics of Railcars in my first 5-year job. I equated the movement of Railcars to a game of chess.

Look forward and strategically plan your movements, and things will fall into place. I took a year and a half off of work to spend time with my father, who had just been diagnosed with ALS. After my father passed I was so fortunate to meet up with Jack at Centennial Energy. I have been working for Jack for the last 19 years.

Without him, we would not know Tuffli, and I would not have the opportunity to be this creative and start a small business. I have done a variety of jobs for Centennial, including railcar logistics, trans-loading crude and LPG, and marketing crude oil and LPG. I couldn’t have been luckier in getting a better career and company. I have learned so much and taken the values I have learned to help build VAQIT.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Very outgoing. Very energetic. I am an Eagle Scout that loves to play outdoors and be energetic. My father would take my family to a little lake in NE, OK, where I fell in love with the water. I got in trouble often at school for talking too much.

This has greatly helped my professional career, but it is tough to keep me seated and quiet as a child. Still tough, but manage it better!! I had a great deal of friends and social activities. I have always been into sales. My mom tells a story of me getting kicked off the school bus for selling blow pops in grade school!!

I have a thirst for work and meeting new people.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://letsvaqit.com/
• Instagram: @letsvaqit
• Facebook: Let’s Vaqit