Natalie Noel takes pride in the products that bear her family name
Natalie Noel isn’t looking for her business to become a national name. Instead, she says she just wants to be known as the go-to label for rum, tequila and vodka in her home state.
She and her father, Chip, have been working toward that goal with their Donaldsonville-based distillery and brand, Noël Spirits. The duo began thinking about getting into the spirits industry six years before the brand’s formal launch in 2023, weathering delays and the pandemic.
“My 100% guiding light is becoming Louisiana’s most beloved spirits brand,” Noel says. “I do not want to leave Louisiana. I do not want to seek greener pastures in other markets. If we were to make it as a brand, it would be because of Louisiana.”
And while Louisiana is a state known for its celebrations, usually aided by a few alcoholic drinks, Noel says it’s not always easy to get “liquid-to-lips” exposure, even as an in-state brand. To get that exposure, she has worked with restaurants to create featured cocktails and hosted tasting events to get her Noël Spirits in front of more consumers.
“I’m very proud of those little wins because they have taken an incredible amount of resiliency,” Noel says. “I think that’s what our brand’s vibe is internally—the resiliency of staying after it and staying in the game.”
Noël Spirits tries to give local customers premium craft options that can satisfy and maybe even be subbed in place of big brands. Whether consumers like aged rums, authentic tequilas, pickle-flavored vodka or canned cocktails, Noël aims to provide plenty for diverse palates. But since starting the business, she says she has found that while many locals know her brand’s name, not everyone has given it a taste.
“We have to break the behavior,” Noel says, “because no more do people say, ‘I’ll take a vodka or vodka soda.’ Now it’s a Tito’s and soda.”
Out of all of her products, Noel is particularly fond of the blanco tequila, which is produced in small batches in Mexico. She teases that she’d like to add high-proof and extra añejo tequilas to her product list, too.
“Tequila treats me better than any of the other spirits,” Noel jokes. “I don’t like being hungover or anything like that. So I feel even if I have a wild Saturday night in Death Valley, I can still be somewhat functional on Sunday.”
As the brand’s co-founder and CEO with a background in marketing, Noel works to connect the brand with consumers, while her father works as co-founder and master rum distiller. She says combining her passion for bringing products to the market with her father’s rum-making passion was a perfect storm.
“We balance each other beautifully,” Noel says of Chip. “There’s a ton of trust, being that he’s my dad. We’ve had blowouts, and all they did was teach us that you have your lane, and I have mine.”
With a little over three years under their belt in what Noel calls a “hard business,” she hopes to see more growth and says she’s open to investors—as long as they don’t try to make her leave her beloved Louisiana.
“If we’re going to make it, it will be because Louisiana said, We love this brand, and this is the spirits [brand] that we want to celebrate life’s moments with, or forget life’s moments with,” she says. “I wouldn’t have wanted to open up in any other state. This is the best state for a small brand to have a chance.”
This article was originally published in the October 2026 issue of 225 Magazine.
