News

Meet Pia Carusone & Rachel Gardner, Co-Founders of FRESHFARM MVT Market’s Monthly Pop-up Vendor Republic Restoratives!

Friday March 21, 2025

Our annual celebration of Women’s History Month continues this week with a spotlight on the co-founders of Republic Restoratives, a proudly local women & LGBTQ-owned distillery that has been popping-up on a monthly basis at our FRESFHARM MVT Market since 2022! In 2016, Pia and Rachel left their government jobs to launch Republic Restoratives which became the largest crowd-funded craft distillery in the U.S. and first woman-owned in DC history. The co-founders put an emphasis on challenging convention which has led them to the creation of politically themed spirits, including a Hillary Clinton-inspired “Rodham Rye,” Ruth Bader Ginsburg-inspired “Dissent Gin,” and their most popular seller to-date, the Kamala Harris-inspired “Madam”—a bourbon-rye blend that sold out in less than 24 hours last year after Joe Biden endorsed her.

You can browse (and sample!) their products on the fourth Saturday of every month (which just so happens to be this Saturday!) at the FRESHFARM MVT Market. Stop by the corner of 5th & I Streets NW from 9am-1pm to shop Republic Restoratives along with our full list of local vendors!